1978\u2019s Open Fire<\/i><\/a>), but because the production here supports Jennings\u2019 aims in the best way, delivering a sound that manages to be simultaneously crystal-clear and warm and immediate.\u00a0 Jennings also receives exceptional support from his backing band of Bruce Spencer (drums), Marty Holland (bass) and Scott Reams (keys), all of whom show terrific chops and the ability to effortlessly adapt to whatever direction Jennings takes the music.<\/p>\nLeadoff cut \u201cObservation\u201d is an entertaining hybrid, a dreamy classic rock number grafted onto a reggae beat, with Jennings soloing up top while the understated funk of the rhythm section keeps your feet tapping.\u00a0 About three minutes in, Jennings delivers the kind of sunny, lyrical solo that makes vocals feel superfluous.\u00a0 Before you can catch your breath, sophomore cut \u201cOne Blue Lady\u201d piles on with driving fusion with strong blues-funk underpinnings, featuring terrific interplay between Montrose on the left channel and Jennings on the right as they trade solos over a stuttering, insistent beat.<\/p>\n
After a one-two punch of that caliber it\u2019s tempting to say the rest doesn\u2019t matter, but there\u2019s not a wasted moment here.\u00a0 \u201cRule 14\u201d follows with a steady mid-tempo blues offering soaring, supremely expressive solos, before giving way to fourth cut \u201cShe\u2019s,\u201d a meditative number with delicate, evocative chordings, every note both precise and warm.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
The pace picks up again with \u201cFeeding Time,\u201d another standout track with a snappy, jazzy feel to it.\u00a0 Reams contributes a rippling organ solo in full Les McCann \/ Steely Dan mode, bringing the jive\u2014and yet the chorus, if you could call it that, has a distinct fusion feel, finding the elusive sweet spot between Eric Clapton and Wes Montgomery and mining it beautifully.<\/p>\n
\u201cBones\u201d has a George Benson feel; light, clean funk that finds Reams soloing in a contemporary jazz groove while Jennings twists and bends notes in response, rising up to hit some genuine stingers.\u00a0 The blues take over again for a little \u201cWeather Manipulation,\u201d as a rumbly rhythm section provides a sturdy base for Jennings to solo over, his keening tone clean and pure and right on the money.<\/p>\n
Moving into the final trio, \u201cThe Next Mile\u201d has a contemporary jazz \/ light funk feel to it, with great bass work from Holland and sweet, tasteful, finger-snapping, Larry Carlton-ish licks from Jennings, while \u201cMeltdown\u201d offers Reams and Spencer their own chances to shine.\u00a0 Closer \u201cA Dime For The Phone\u201d has a wonderfully dreamy feel, a little Pink Floyd\/David Gilmour flavor in its deliberate rhythms and spooky melancholy.\u00a0 There\u2019s more nice organ work from Reams as well, and a brief little sax\/acoustic guitar vamp on the fadeout that again conjures memories of Dark Side Of The Moon<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Class and skill, flash and subtlety\u2014Shortcut To The Center<\/i> has everything you could ever wish for from a fusion album. With an assist from Mr. Montrose, Jerry Jennings and band shine brightly here, and you can only hope that this is one sleeper of an album that will sleep no more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":30429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[8618],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-42092","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-jerry-jennings","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42092"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52071,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42092\/revisions\/52071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42092"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=42092"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=42092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}