Home
Inter-Fusion
Inter-Fusion in Bloomington, MN
Current price: $22.99
Loading Inventory...
Size: OS
Though he released
Live in Williamsburg
back in 2014, it has been 44 years since guitar wizard
Shuggie Otis
released a studio album. Coming of age first with his father
Johnny
's wonderfully raucous R&B band and playing on sessions by
T-Bone Walker
and
Big Joe Turner
,
Otis
gained first notice from rock fans for his starring role on
Kooper Session: Super Session, Vol. 2
). He released three fine studio albums under his own name between 1970 and 1974 including the classic
Inspiration Information
. (
was cut during a global tour celebrating its 40th anniversary reissue that included a bonus disc of odds-and-sods material recorded between 1975 and 2000 titled
Wings of Love
.)
Here
leads a quintet that includes veteran rockers
Carmine Appice
(
Vanilla Fudge
Beck, Bogert & Appice
) and bassist
Tony Franklin
the Firm
Roy Harper
), keyboardist/producer
Kyle Hamood
Them Guns
), and guitarist
Aaron Kaplan
. According to
, this is a "fusion rock" project (a loose mix of funk, blues, soul, and rock & roll). Mostly instrumental, it sounds like a loose jam session by highly sympathetic players who frame
' still dazzling, soulful playing. Opener "Aphelion" is as minor-key blues waltz introduced by an eerie electric piano.
touches on parts of two different melodies and bridges them with his solo. Three quarters of the way through,
Appice
pushes the band into a tempo change and ratchets up the tension. "Get a Grip" is heavier. Its funky backbeat, spiky wah-wah chording, and swirling organ pave the way for
Franklin
to trade riffs before the former adds weighty, tasty fills and a break before the tune winds its way out to hard rock. "Ice Cold Daydream" features the twin propulsive forces of a whomping bassline and
's breakbeats.
' thin, wispy voice sounds almost the same as it did in 1974. This is funky rock at its best, complete with a
Hendrix
-ian guitar freakout. The grooves are even fatter in the nasty funk that is "Woman." Its guitar interplay is seamless despite raw-toned distortion with syncopated snare and kick drum breaks and rumbling bass in massive vamps. The
ELP
-esque keyboard solo in the middle eight gives the entire tune a schizophrenic quality. It paves the way for "Sweet Surrender," an outright prog rock jam that will resonate most with guitar freaks. The eight-minute "Clear Powder" is the set's longest offering, an aural montage of biting funk that gives way to the wide-open,
Deep Purple
-inspired highway rock that is "V8." (
' unique phrasing, however, adds both heft and soul that would never occur to
Richie Blackmore
.)
Inter-Fusion
is a hip little record. While it doesn't reach the heights of
' earlier work, it does provide a healthy dose of the unique talent he brought to the game in the first place. ~ Thom Jurek
Live in Williamsburg
back in 2014, it has been 44 years since guitar wizard
Shuggie Otis
released a studio album. Coming of age first with his father
Johnny
's wonderfully raucous R&B band and playing on sessions by
T-Bone Walker
and
Big Joe Turner
,
Otis
gained first notice from rock fans for his starring role on
Kooper Session: Super Session, Vol. 2
). He released three fine studio albums under his own name between 1970 and 1974 including the classic
Inspiration Information
. (
was cut during a global tour celebrating its 40th anniversary reissue that included a bonus disc of odds-and-sods material recorded between 1975 and 2000 titled
Wings of Love
.)
Here
leads a quintet that includes veteran rockers
Carmine Appice
(
Vanilla Fudge
Beck, Bogert & Appice
) and bassist
Tony Franklin
the Firm
Roy Harper
), keyboardist/producer
Kyle Hamood
Them Guns
), and guitarist
Aaron Kaplan
. According to
, this is a "fusion rock" project (a loose mix of funk, blues, soul, and rock & roll). Mostly instrumental, it sounds like a loose jam session by highly sympathetic players who frame
' still dazzling, soulful playing. Opener "Aphelion" is as minor-key blues waltz introduced by an eerie electric piano.
touches on parts of two different melodies and bridges them with his solo. Three quarters of the way through,
Appice
pushes the band into a tempo change and ratchets up the tension. "Get a Grip" is heavier. Its funky backbeat, spiky wah-wah chording, and swirling organ pave the way for
Franklin
to trade riffs before the former adds weighty, tasty fills and a break before the tune winds its way out to hard rock. "Ice Cold Daydream" features the twin propulsive forces of a whomping bassline and
's breakbeats.
' thin, wispy voice sounds almost the same as it did in 1974. This is funky rock at its best, complete with a
Hendrix
-ian guitar freakout. The grooves are even fatter in the nasty funk that is "Woman." Its guitar interplay is seamless despite raw-toned distortion with syncopated snare and kick drum breaks and rumbling bass in massive vamps. The
ELP
-esque keyboard solo in the middle eight gives the entire tune a schizophrenic quality. It paves the way for "Sweet Surrender," an outright prog rock jam that will resonate most with guitar freaks. The eight-minute "Clear Powder" is the set's longest offering, an aural montage of biting funk that gives way to the wide-open,
Deep Purple
-inspired highway rock that is "V8." (
' unique phrasing, however, adds both heft and soul that would never occur to
Richie Blackmore
.)
Inter-Fusion
is a hip little record. While it doesn't reach the heights of
' earlier work, it does provide a healthy dose of the unique talent he brought to the game in the first place. ~ Thom Jurek
Shop Similar Products
