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GAVIN HARRISON & 05RIC

Eclectic Prog • United Kingdom


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Gavin Harrison & 05Ric biography

Gavin HARRISON, British drummer and percussionist, prolific both in jazz and prog rock spheres, is being active for 30 years. For a prog rock fan, he's perhaps best known as a drummer of PORCUPINE TREE and - as of 2008 - of KING CRIMSON. He played with other notable progressive rock artists, such are RENAISSANCE, Franco BATTIATO, Jako JAKSZYK, Kevin AYERS, MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND, Steven WILSON and OSI. He also collaborated with a number of world-renowned musicians outside of prog spectrum, such are IGGY POP, Claudio BAGLIONI, Eros RAMAZOTTI, Lisa STANSFIELD and INCOGNITO, to name but a few.

During the second half of the 00's, he started collaborating with 05RIC, innovative Cambridge-based musician. As a result of this collaborations two albums saw the light of the day: 'Drop' from 2007 and 'Circles' from 2009; the albums of high complexity and innovation (yet not swamped in unnecessary technicalities, with high-quality songwriting being first and foremost). Harrison was responsible for percussion duties, as well as (tapped) guitar work and some bass; while 05Ric was playing extended range-bass and vocals (vocal harmonies are particularly intriguing). Robert FRIPP and Dave STEWART had guest appearances.


Souces:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Harrison
www.myspace.com/gavinharrison05ric

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GAVIN HARRISON & 05RIC discography


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GAVIN HARRISON & 05RIC top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.20 | 18 ratings
Drop
2007
3.40 | 31 ratings
Circles
2009
3.50 | 26 ratings
The Man Who Sold Himself
2012

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GAVIN HARRISON & 05RIC Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

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GAVIN HARRISON & 05RIC Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Drop by HARRISON & 05RIC, GAVIN album cover Studio Album, 2007
3.20 | 18 ratings

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Drop
Gavin Harrison & 05Ric Eclectic Prog

Review by Memo_anathemo

3 stars When you listen to Drop, you immediately have the feeling of listening a fusion of jazz with King Crimson, then you know Robert Fripp is involved in the album, you confirm more. Dave Stewart in some keyboards add a nice perspective to the album. And of course, I leave to the end the two main characters. When you hear O5Ric singing, you know he has a complete influence on Jackzyk and Sylvan voices, he sings practically similar. His way of playing the bass guitar is astonishing. Gavin Harrison has a very unique style of playing the drums, and he is outstanding and consistent all the way through. The only complain I have is that the album sounds a bit repetitive but in general it is really good.
 Drop by HARRISON & 05RIC, GAVIN album cover Studio Album, 2007
3.20 | 18 ratings

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Drop
Gavin Harrison & 05Ric Eclectic Prog

Review by Andy Webb
Special Collaborator Retired Admin

3 stars Sailing on alloy wings

The history of Gavin Harrison, the drummer of Porcupine Tree, and his collaboration with the interesting extended range bass player "05ric" is an interesting one. Harrison received an invite on Myspace by the latter, and he decided to check out his music, to which he rather enjoyed. Through a number of private messages and emails, the two met up at a Porcupine Tree concert and started talking. One thing led to another and soon the two were sending each other little tidbits of music and themes and melodies, and soon the album "Drop" formed. Combining the forces of both musicians' intense skill, the album turned out to be a great fusion of mechanical experimental rock and jazz, making for a rather eclectic showing. (Quote from my review of 'Circles') The album exposed itself as a fantastic display of the two musicians' inventiveness and their willingness to break down genre walls and creating a spectacular fusion of jazzy riffs, mechanical instrumental precision, and some really nice melodies. Although the music may become redundant after a number of dynamic and inviting tracks, the music still holds as a strong display of these guys' musical message.

A particular feature of this music that I find particularly repelling about this music is the lack of diversity on the album. The music, track by track, is genius, with countless memorable moments throughout the tracks. However, many of the songs can easily seem to blend together into a single song blur. I could easily quote my review of Circles again, with my comments on the mechanical nature of the music being 'obvious, with Harrison's roving precise polyrhythmic drumming complimenting 05ric's robotic bass and guitar lines. Of course the music is not just a time-slot specific template; the two guys are no strangers to improvisation. With countless fills rotating around jazzy and at some times beautifully dissonant guitar solos, the tracks have no shortage of spice to make the music more interesting.' The same holds true for both of this band's albums. Although this continuity between their works is not a bad thing, I believe it would be helpful for the band to compose something more diverse and inviting of a wider fanbase.

Of course this album came before Circles, so I cannot throw down this album's genius unjustly. The music is infectious at times, beautiful at others, sweeping here, rolling there, and a slew of other characteristics to call these songs home. And of course, this was the band's debut, so I must accredit it with being one damn professional and one damn creative debut, despite being a bit redundant. Harrison's usual amazing performance combined with 05Ric's fantastic bass style certainly does make for a superb album!

In final consideration, Drop boils down to a superb display of these two guys' great prowess on their instruments, with Gavin rotating around his kit with grace and agility and 05ric sweeping up and down his bass with ease. Overall, the album, despite being rather unchanging, is a great album, with some really cool atmospheres and chill jazzy soloing to give it a name. Although it may not be the best album out there, I recommend it to anyone who is looking for something different and jazzy to listen to. Notice anything familiar about this conclusion? 3+ stars.

 Circles by HARRISON & 05RIC, GAVIN album cover Studio Album, 2009
3.40 | 31 ratings

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Circles
Gavin Harrison & 05Ric Eclectic Prog

Review by Andy Webb
Special Collaborator Retired Admin

3 stars Mechanical mania

The history of Gavin Harrison, the drummer of Porcupine Tree, and his collaboration with the interesting extended range bass player "05ric" is an interesting one. Harrison received an invite on Myspace by the latter, and he decided to check out his music, to which he rather enjoyed. Through a number of private messages and emails, the two met up at a Porcupine Tree song and started talking. One thing led to another and soon the two were sending each other little tidbits of music and themes and melodies, and soon the album "Drop" formed. Combining the forces of both musicians' intense skill, the album turned out to be a great fusion of mechanical experimental rock and jazz, making for a rather eclectic showing. Two years later the two released their second album, Circles. Displaying a similar sound and an even more eclectic, jazzy feel, the album, although having a rather consistent theme throughout most of the album, proffers a great portion of great jazzy mechanical rock.

The mechanical nature of the band's music is obvious, with Harrison's roving precise polyrhythmic drumming complimenting 05ric's robotic bass and guitar lines. Of course the music is not just a time-slot specific template; the two guys are no strangers to improvisation. With countless fills rotating around jazzy and at some times beautifully dissonant guitar solos, the tracks have no shortage of spice to make the music more interesting. One great dynamic the guys are able to throw in is the occasional piano solo, in pure jazz form, such as the one on Circles. Through minutes after minutes of soloing and riffing, the presence of a change is often hugely appreciated.

This also brings me to a significant flaw seen in this fantastic music: the overwhelming sense of repetition on the album. Continuity is definitely an admirable quality, but often when I'm listening to the album I can't help but lose track of which song I happen to be listening to ? most of the songs sound painfully alike. Although the melodies are oftentimes beautiful and memorable and the harmonies between the guitar lines and 05ric's voice are striking, much of the music on the album follows an almost cookie-cutter format, with little but the solos to vary the songs. Now although it may seem like I'm condemning the entire album as a mound of identical noise, I can assure you that I am not. The overall atmosphere of the recording is fantastic, the style of the music is sublime, and my admiration for this album is in a very high regard. However, I believe that a few more dynamics could have been added to the album instead of just a show-off session for the two fantastic musicians. In the end, despite musically being great, there is little variation between tracks (except a few exceptions such as the slower, more melodic Faith).

In final consideration, Circles boils down to a superb display of these two guys' great prowess on their instruments, with Gavin rotating around his kit with grace and agility and 05ric sweeping up and down his bass with ease. Overall, the album, despite being rather unchanging, is a great album, with some really cool atmospheres and chill jazzy soloing to give it a name. Although it may not be the best album out there, I recommend it to anyone who is looking for something different and jazzy to listen to. 3+ stars.

Thanks to clarke2001 for the artist addition.

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