LIVE AT LOCAL 506

This North Carolina-based fusion group consisted of excellent musicians on every instrument: bassist Wayne Leechford on chapman stick, Francis Dyer on drums, Hollis Brown on electric violin, and Jeremy Shaw on guitar. (No vocals.)

Similar to (but not quite as Crimson-esque as) Boud Deun, Ozone Quartet hit a home run with their debut album "Fresh Blood", then followed it right up with their other fine studio album "Nocturne". And while that album showed some maturing and progress in their playing and composition skills, "Live at Local 506" is your best value from this fine group.

Recorded during their tour following "Nocturne", "Live.." consisted of 5 songs each from both studio albums, and you can really see how the group had become even tighter and more polished. It's amazing how they could rip through these complex songs live on stage!

Great production and nice balance between the instruments contribute to the excellent playing of some very energetic compositions. My only gripe is that the songs, though good, can tend to sound a bit similar after awhile; I personally could have used more slower- paced songs and perhaps some different instrumentation here and there.

Unfortunately, I think the group has disbanded, so good luck picking these cd's up. Their website may still sell all of their cd's.

If you're into instrumental prog fusion, you should seek them out.