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Mats-Morgan (Band) - Live CD (album) cover

LIVE

Mats-Morgan (Band)

 

Jazz Rock/Fusion

4.04 | 12 ratings

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Tapfret
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
4 stars Dynamic-Duo takes a full band on the road

Sub-genre: Jazz/Rock Fusion (Very strong Zappa, almost RIO flavor)
For Fans of: Frank Zappa
Vocal Style: Instrumental
Guitar Style: Morgan's brother Jimmy provides occasional lightly distorted bluesy licks.
Keyboard Style: Various styles from Rhodes and B3 (clean and overdriven on both) to harpsichord/clavinova and vibe patches. Basically runs the table on synth patches.
Percussion Style: Morgan Agren's heavy rock set with syncopated virtuosity and thick polyrhythms.
Bass Style: Picked, slapped and heavy.
Other Instruments: Did I mention there are keyboards on this album?

Summary: It is only fitting that such a fine example of the improving quality of live recording would come from the Swedish protégés of one of the most prolific live recording artists, Frank Zappa. If not for the crowd in the background, it would be very hard to distinguish this from a studio album. The music is extraordinarily tight in the vein of early to mid-80's Zappa Jazz compositions with a hint of Weather Report/Return to Forever style Jazz/Fusion atrocities. The heaviness of the drumming sets this project apart from the aforementioned influences. While Morgan is certainly capable of dynamic contrast, he often displays it on this album; it is his assault and batteries that make me shake my head in disbelief. The key players are awesome (the album has 2 others besides Mats) but lend to the albums one big drawback in that it maybe just a touch to keyboard heavy. This, unfortunately, despite the quality and variation in playing, tends to cause a slightly redundant feel to the album. Another element that prevents masterpiece status is the notable absence of Mats' Stevie Wonderesque vocals and flavorful harmonica playing.

Final Score: This is a highly recommended addition to any progressive collection. This is one of the finest examples of modern live recording. Only minor setbacks as listed above. 4 stars.

Tapfret | 4/5 |

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