EER-MUSIC.com HOME PAGE

EER-MUSIC.com
MEET THE STAFF HERE

BUY THIS CD RIGHT NOW! POINT CLICK DONE!
 
Nat Janoff Looking Through  (Independent, 1999)


New Jersey jazz guitarist Nat Janoff has played with Michael Brecker 
and Kenny Burrell.  On Looking Through, his self-released debut, he
leads a trio with the ace rhythm section of bassist Matthew Garrison 
and drummer Gene Lake through seven original tunes.  Garrison's credits
include John McLaughlin's Heart of Things band and sessions with David
Fiuczynski and Steve Coleman, and Gene Lake has played for Steve 
Coleman and Five Elements and David Fiuczynski's Screaming Headless Torsos.  


The title track opens the record with a funky head played with in a
natural hollowbody jazz guitar sound, but after only one repetition of
the head, Janoff switches to a strident lead sound and tears into a 90
second guitar solo full of flashy speed picking.  Garrison adds a bass
solo, and his few bursts of speed equal Janoff's skill while more
tastefully supporting the music.  "Room with a View," with a somber
head, offers smooth fretless bass chords and more blasts of speedy
picking in the clean guitar tone, before Lake adds a crisp drum break
that builds the tension back to a recapitulation.  The flashy guitar in
"Horizon" rings far more appropriate, applied in short bursts around
more traditional jazz guitar lead lines like octaves and snappy chord
variations.  Garrison and Lake particularly shine here, with bass 
chords and light drum rolls providing an airy foundation.  


"Home" marks the pinnacle of the record in a soaring, half-time head
with quick ride cymbal work and an uplifting guitar melody.  The bass
takes the melody line in one section over guitar chords, but a low 
mixed guitar overdub unnecessarily doubles the bass melody.  Lake cracks out 
a fat half-time in the minor key solo section under a snappy clean tone
guitar lead.  "Three Sunsets," a guitar duet in a light swing, subdues
the mood by removing the all-star rhythm section, but more heavy-handed
soloing drowns the lighter feel.  "Orange" and "Spiral" speed up the
pace after the duet with more ace rhythm work, like the offbeat ride
cymbal in the head of "Spiral," and more needlessly fast speed picking
in the overdubbed solo.  Janoff and Garrison exchange bursts of fast
notes in "Orange," but Lake outclasses them both with pulsing drum
breaks. 


Looking Through sounds crisply professional in the rolling
fretless bass, crisp drums, and woody clean guitar, a high achievement
for an independent release.  Janoff's composing leaves a few memorable
moments, including the funky head of the title track and the soaring
melody of "Home," but he rarely develops these beyond vehicles for
soloing.  His repeated blurs of flashy speed picking wash over the 
music with all the subtlety of a fire hose.  


Janoff oddly juxtaposes contemporary and classic influences on
Looking Through.  He plays classic jazz style chordings and 
heads with a clean, hollowbody rhythm guitar sound, but he stomps on a raspy
lead tone and rips out gaudy speed metal arpeggios in his solos.  He
leads a traditional format jazz guitar trio, but he overdubs guitar
solos and doubling tracks of some of the bass melodies, instead of
tracking everything live like most jazz to showcase the interaction
between the musicians.  Janoff's website lists contemporary and classic
influences, including John McLaughlin and "the technical rock guitar
masters of the 80's."   Janoff's playing suggests that he has mastered
the technical feats of some of these players, but far less of, for
example, McLaughlin's subtlety in wielding his ability and his genius 
in composing.  Until Janoff further develops both of those skills, he'll 
be an odd contradiction in jazz guitarist terms and just another fast
player.  


Reviewed by Scott Andrews [scottandrews@his.com]


More Info:

http://www.natjanoff.com/ 


Track Listing:

1.  Looking Through 

2.  Room with a View 

3.  Horizon 

4.  Home 

5.  Three Sunsets 

6.  Orange  

7.  Spiral 


Personnel: 

Nat Janoff: guitar 

Matthew Garrison: bass 

Gene Lake: drums 





GO BACK
RETURN TO:


To purchase this recording and get more info, soundclips, etc.
CLICK ON ARTIST'S NAME ABOVE
OR . . .
Please try my brand spankin' new 
EER-MUSIC.com and AMAZON.com QUIK-LINKs
buyer's guide to recommended music.
OR ...
 go to my LINKS page and find the vendors' section. 
Happy hunting!

Observe how the word
wheel reverses direction
if you try and read words.