MEDIA REVIEWS
DVD
Rush
Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland
2011 Anthem Entertainment
One would be hard-pressed to name a band as polarizing
as Rush. But love them or not, their longevity and continued relevancy in the world of rock music is nothing less
than impressive. Formed in 1968, the band has continued
to create and expand on its very unique blend of rock ’n’
roll, all the while delivering it to a worldwide, devoted fan base. And Rush’s uncanny
ability to recreate their complex studio sound on the stage—with just Lifeson, Lee,
and Peart at the helm—is legendary.
Anthony Wilson, featuring
Steve Cardenas, Chico
Pinheiro, and Julian Lage
Seasons Live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Goat Hill Recordings
Guitarist Anthony
Wilson is a mod-ern-day composer
with an old-school
ethos. His projects
have ranged from
the little big-band
stylings of his
nonet to the stripped-down earthiness of
his organ trio. For the CD/DVD package
Seasons, Live at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, he performs as part of a guitar quartet
where the instruments are as heralded as the
musicians. The four instruments, handmade
by luthier John Monteleone, each carry
one movement of the song cycle that serves
at the centerpiece of the album. Joining
Wilson in the quartet is Brazilian guitarist
Chico Pinheiro, young gun Julian Lage, and
established veteran of the NYC jazz scene
Steve Cardenas.
Opening with “Winter,” the group
tackles the intricate counterpoint with the
precision and empathy of a classical string
quartet. Cardenas takes the lead on this
movement and gives the first statement
of the theme that pops up throughout
the rest of the suite. With each movement, not only do the roles of the players
change, but they also switch instruments
with each guitarist taking a turn with
each guitar. The pace changes to a joyful
and slightly Latin feel with “Spring” and
allows Pinheiro to demonstrate his ample
chops and liquid feel.
After finishing the suite, each guitarist
is given a chance to flex musical muscle in
a solo feature that ties into the “seasons”
theme. Lage’s interpretation of “April
Kisses” shows his ability to defy genres
and take the music to new and interesting
places. The album ends with the group’s
take on Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game,”
which is a fitting end to this very successful
experiment in matching the right tool for
the right job. —Jason Shadrick
Must-hear track: “Spring”
