DIXIE DREGS

Anyway, the whole gang is back together on this culling of a three-nite-live-reunion jam-fest. Morse, Lavitz, Morgenstein, Sloan, and West -- are joined by LaRue, Goodman, and Dweezil Zappa. Everybody throws down, doing all the golden fusion/rock/country oldies. Even Zappa and the Allman Brothers tunes are covered. The riffs are flyin' like gravel slingin' from under a souped-up stock car runnin' down that there country road up yonder. Fun is the word here. Musicianship is stunning and the crowd loves it. My fav cuts were the dream-ridden, Mahavishnu-meets-Morse, soul-travel cuts; "Night Meets Light" and "What If" both from my fav Dregs release, What If.

This is a great "meet-the-Dregs" CD for newbies or a decent live "best-of" but if you already own many other Dregs releases or Morse-related CDs, this CD will be merely an altered echo versus a disc of new revelations. For a great new taste of Morse, I highly recommend his 2000 release, Major Impacts. All-in-all, a superb release by matchless musicians.

Maybe it's the down-home Southern-ness of it all, but I just find the Dregs' music an impressively intricate way to express absolutely nothing, a crystal-clear example of how technical chops don't save your compositions from being just a little trite. I won't rate it below three stars, because it's clear that there's some real skill being applied here, but I think this is one where you'll either love it or find yourself entirely unable to see what all the fuss is about,

The studio material shows the band following a more conventional style of playing, now offering lots of happy tunes and pleasant melodies, but the performances are still kept in a good level, featuring again some sudden breaks, American-styled rockin' grooves and impressive violin work by Allen Sloan.''The Riff Raff'' actually sounds more like an American Folk interpretation, based exclusively on acoustic guitars and violin, while the rest of the studio tracks suggest again Dixie Dregs' strong influences by MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA and Country Music.The guys produced emphatic, jazzy music with a good bunch of interplays and tight structures, somewhat misdirected by their love for rural flavors.

Live tracks are coming in the already familiar style of the Fusion band, maybe sometimes with a more pronounced Southern Rock/Country taste like on ''The bash'' or ''Patchwork'', but tracks like ''Leprechaun promenade'' and the eponymous one show Dixie Dregs' love for dense, instrumental Jazz/Fusion, led by powerful drumming, instrumental interactions and a constant change of tempos.For the first time some nice keyboard parts, including Moog synthesizer and Hammond organ, come in evidence, and the personal sound of the band is displayed with great energy.

Not exactly up there with thr fantastic ''What if'', still this well-played Jazz/Fusion with soaring violin and rich instrumentals, developing from enjoyable themes to complex ideas.Recommended.

WHAT IF is the absolute perfect place to start. This was love at first listen with only the first and third tracks taking me several listens to appreciate but now they have weaseled their way into my soul and are stuck there until the great decomposition of body and mind occurs. This album is absolutely phenomenal in how progressive it is. It is labeled as jazz fusion and to be fair there is plenty of that going on particularly in a Mahavishnu Orchestra type of way but there are classical guitar pieces, bluegrass, Kansas type rockers and moments of calmness. Every track is impressive and my favorite idiosyncrasy of this band is how they play out a passage by alternating instruments to finish riffs and fills. A kind of lightning fast call and response that serves as the backbone for the melodic whole. Impressive album indeed that I never get tired of. It just keeps getting better after repeated listens. A perfect marriage of melody and technicality.

This album DOES follow a sort of pattern in the mix of song types. A few Rockers, a Bluegrass song, one or two fusion Jazz songs, a classical guitar peice.... But, they did these extraordinarily well. Even though you may say... "oh... this is the country song"... it did not sound like "the country song" on the last album.

I won't break down each song, but... Hereafter is simply one of the greatest, deepest, most powerful songs ever written. Period. It is a masterpiece of chamber arrangement for rock band. Even if one were to completely put aside Steve Morse's virtuosity, it is his songwriting that I find stunning and almost heartbreaking.

This album actually stays in my car's 6 disk changer at all times.

This is a very energetic Prog/Fusion album, reminiscent of Dixie Dregs' passionate approach on rich, instrumental compositions, with lots jazzy and a few of Classical references, with the group sounding even closer to KANSAS on this album, though the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA influence is still the major leading guide.The two long tracks of the album are really fantastic with impressive breaks and changes, going from Classical-inspired violin parts to jazzy interplays and full-blown proggy battles with nice use of keyboards, while it is doubtful if you'll find a more accomplished rhythm section than the one of Andy West and Rod Morgenstein.The shorter tracks are more straight but far from easy-going.Here the group can divide its influences to separate tracks, from the groovy Boogie Rock of ''Take It Off the Top'' to the light Jazz-Rock of ''What If'' anf from the superb Fusion of ''Travel Tunes'' to the funkier rhythms of ''Ice Cakes''.However the performance of Dixie Dregs will remain always on a very high level with lots of changing climates, technical playing and rich delivery all the way, while a few smoother passages are added for good measure in an attempt to keep things balanced.

Superb follow-up to the otherwise very good ''''Free Fall''.Passionate Prog/Fusion of high quality with tremendous both individual and team performances.Highly recommended.

Musically, the album is really good. These guys know how to play what they play and they do it well. Every member contributes his skill right from jazzy drum rhythms, wicked bass grooves, searing fiddle playing, groovy keys, and of course, Morse's flying fingers on the fret board. There are no vocals. Every track is purely instrumental.

But what kind of music is this? It sounds to me as though the jazz band at my old college donated the tablatures for the music they played to various artists from the Windham Hill New Age/Folk collection (later Windham Hill was Morse's label!), the Rankin Family, the Alan Parsons Project, and some very talented young guitarist. Fortunately for me, I have albums by everyone mentioned above except the jazz band of my old college. Taking a moment to adjust, I was able to appreciate the music on this album. Particular favourites are "Refried Funky Chicken" and "Holiday", but other tracks are good too. There is this wonderful quirky sense of humour in the music when it gets a little wild, but it keeps its shirt tucked in for the more beautiful and sentimental pieces.

As great an album as I think it is, this is not my usual taste and so I really don't listen to it much. There's a bit too much jazz and down home fiddlin' here for me. But as I said, Dixie Dregs do a remarkable job of playing everything they write. Maybe not quite essential, but better than "good".

Sometime in 1979 they played a set for the widely syndicated King Biscuit Flower Hour radio program, thus spreading their unique sound into unsuspecting ears the world over and enhancing their reputation. As were many of those tapings, it remained confined to bootleg status for a long time until it was packaged properly and released on CD in 1997. It's a good thing, too, because the concert captures their unbridled spirit quite well. The recording is very intimate and close up, eschewing studio tricks and embellishments that would often make less-talented bands appear to be better than they actually were. This is more like sitting in a tiny bar, being dazzled by the eclectic combo set up on the little stage in the corner.

After a brief introduction, some reassuring feedback leads to "Freefall," an incredibly tight, progressive jazz/rock fusion tune that will pin your ears back against your noggin. You are immediately struck by the level of individual virtuosity this ensemble possesses in spades. Rod Morgenstein's frantic drums start "Country House Shuffle," an engaging song owning a playful melody that rolls around in your head like a mental whirlwind. The playing is so tasteful it makes you drool. For "Moe Down" Rod's inventive drumming provides a great change of pace moment early on in the show. The group incorporates a combination of bluegrass and Irish folk influences into the number with highly satisfying results. There's a mirthful élan surrounding this tune that's irresistible. "Ice Cakes" follows and it's one of those instrumentals that's impossible to label, it's that eccentric. Morse's style has so many affectations in it, garnered from his noble heroes and mentors, that it's an adventure just listening to him perform. It's obvious that they were admirers of the stupendous Mahavishnu Orchestra but they weren't a copycat band at all. They had their own way of doing things. "Travel Tunes" is next, a rocker with entertaining quirks that give it a spunky character. Steve shreds like an electric sander on a quilt.

They then play a rousing version of "Night of the Living Dregs." It's one of their signature numbers and they tear it up with glee. Andy West's bass solo is exceptional and I really get a kick out of how Morse and electric violinist Allen Sloan work in tandem with each other on the central melody line. "Night Meets Light" is so good it's not to be missed. This song shows that they had a softer, more delicate side but don't worry, there's nothing pretentious about it. You can tell there's a genuine cooperative imagination present amongst the members. Sloan's violin and T. Lavitz's synthesizer conjure up a very serene atmosphere during the first half, while the latter section achieves true magnificence as the instruments dance around each other in an intricate aural choreography. "Punk Sandwich" marks a return to their more rowdy, hard-driving instincts. Everyone gets to get their ya-yas out on this one but I'm most intrigued by the fact that they don't have to rely on ear-splitting volume to get the job done. "Cruise Control" is another highlight. It's hot rock & roll poured over a funky bass line that'll twist your curlies. As a unit they zip right along at light speed but they fudge nary a beat as they take turns glamming the folks in attendance and out in Radioland. You gotta admit that there's some pretty damn astonishing stuff going on between these guys. They end with "Take It Off the Top," a killer encore tune that touches every conceivable base.

In essence, if you're a fan of impossible-to-duplicate jazz/rock fusion and also enjoy hearing it played expertly in a live setting then this is your ticket to Nirvana. These boys took a back seat to no one and they consistently fed off of each others' enthusiasm as they pushed the limits of what they could accomplish every time they alit on the stage. At least that's what it sounds like to me as evidenced by this scintillating performance caught for posterity. 4.3 stars.

3/10

This is a decent album at best. I would not recommend it unless you're a Dregs fan already.

5/10