By: Dr Matt Warnock
Jam On Guitars is a compilation CD put together by Magna Carta Records that features some of the heaviest hitters on today’s jam-band scene. Containing twelve tracks from a diverse array of jam guitarists, the CD provides a short introduction to nineteen of the genres major six-string masters, with each track including contributions by one to three different guitarists.
Though compilations such as this are often diluted efforts to cram a bunch of unrelated works onto one album, the guys over at Magna Carta have done an excellent job of putting together a collection of songs whose diversity is it’s greatest strength. The album is never boring, each song leads logically into the next, and the inclusion of such a wide range of guitarists only adds to the interest and the appeal of the album as a whole.
While some of the artists included in this compilation may not be purely jam-band musicians, such as jazz guitarists Oz Noy, Mike Stern, Phil Upchurch and Fareed Haque, even these peripheral pickers are featured on tracks that could be easily categorized as jam based, rather than jazz based, music. Though each player has recorded, and continues to record, in the jazz arena, each of them slips easily into the funk, rock and world-music based jams they contribute to the album. Accentuating the diversity that each of these accomplished musicians possesses in their playing and writing.
Aside from the jazz-influenced players there are also contributions from slide player Michael Lee Firkins, blues-rock maestro Steve Morse and even one track featuring the grandfather of jam, Jerry Garcia. With all of these, and other, great players on the album Jam On Guitars offers something for every fan of the genre, which is a welcomed bi-product of the record’s compilation format.
One of the albums biggest surprises, at least to metal fans, is the track “Scorch,” which features former Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick alongside eight-string master Charlie Hunter. This track provides yet another example of how one should never judge a musical book by its preverbal album cover. Skolnick, who many know for his heavily-distorted shred output, lays down a funky, groove with a clean tone more reminiscent of Bill Connors than it is of Souls of Black.
His solo is certainly not what thrash fans would expect, but it is quite apparent after even a few seconds of listening that Skolnick is no one-trick pony. His lines are well thought out, rhythmically exciting and lay firmly within the groove of the tune, showcasing a diversity that very few thrash-metal players could claim.
Jam on Guitars is a well-thought out compilation of jam-band artists that acts as both an introduction to the genre for the uninitiated and a “mixed-tape” of modern greats for fans of jam-based music. The players chosen for the record are some of the best in the business, the tunes are well written, and there are ample guitar jams, what more could one ask for in a jam-band record?
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Track Listing
1 – Took the Words Right Outta My Mouth
Guitars: Michael Lee Firkins
2 – Free in the Park
Guitars: Steve Morse
3 – Scorch
Guitars: Alex Skolnick and Charlie Hunter
4 – Dance to the Music
Guitars: Charlie Hitchcock, Fareed Haque, Michael Lee Firkins
5 – Gulab Jammin
Guitars: Fareed Haque
6 – Downside Up
Guitars: Oz Noy and Mike Stern
7 – Lake Shore Drive
Guitars: Chris Poland and Jake Cinninger
8 – Flashlight
Guitars: Phil Upchurch
9 – Dump Truck
Guitars: Will Bernard
10 – Rome
Guitars: Cameron Williams and Jess Frannklin
11 – Disdots
Guitars: Ed Wynne
12 – Starlite Jamboree
Guitars: Bill Cutler, Jerry Garcia, Mark Karan
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