SIDE STEPS

Six long instrumental tracks full of technical and virtuosic plays is the offer of Side Steps on this work with the opening ''Another Encounter'' carrying on the style of the previous album, somewhere between MR. SIRIUS and ALLAN HOLDSWORTH, with dynamic and angular guitar solos and lovely keyboard textures with a light symphonic touch.As the album unfolds the Jazz Rock inspirations become more evident with extended improvised parts thrown in well-crafted compositions.The band however never the abandons the smooth melodic themes with evidence on the synthesizers and piano of Itoh, but the style becomes more and more guitar-driven with pronounced jazzy influences and powerful Jazz/Fusion breaks and gears.''Go Together'' shows a different side of the group, a somewhat relaxed New Age/Jazz piece with mellow guitars, bass and keyboards around.The main core of the album though is full of intense interplays and extreme solos with also lots of scratching rhythmic parts and some more dissonant textures.The lighter moments with the calm guitar solos and the dreamy pianos recall also the works of GARY MOORE.Very solid album with some of the best guitar parts you can meet in the genre.

No question, this is another must-have for lovers of Jazz/Fusion and rising guitar heroes.But the album can be a pleasant listening for anyone loving tight and virtuosic instrumental Progressive Rock with jazzy colors.Recommended.

When they gel, they are quite some force to behold but a lot of the time I get the impression that these could be Americans with big cheesy smiles saying "look at me ? I'm clever". Very mean I know, sorry guys. I do have to confess that I did enjoy playing the album but whether I would return to it frequently then that is another matter altogether.

Originally appeared in Feedback #78, April 2004

Excellent teamwork on this lovely album full of well-composed and balanced compositions, characterized by its shifting moods and gears.''Steps on Edge'' contains seven mostly long instrumental compositions, based on fiery guitar solos, flashy synthesizers, flexible bass lines and powerful drumming, ranging from virtuosic passages and technical solos to ethereal piano breaks and melodic textures.It is a typical example of Japanese Fusion with strong jazzy overtones and even atmospheric symphonic leanings on the keyboard parts, reminiscent of MR. SIRIUS, but more on the Fusion than the Prog side of rock music.The guitar work of Tamura has a light HOLDSWORTH edge on it and his ideas are definitely the highlight of the release.However the numerous keyboard themes and the solid rhythm section make ''Steps on edge'' an album full of nice interplays and balanced instrumentation.

Fans of MR. SIRIUS, BRUFORD or MONGOL should definitely check this album out, this is certainly a pretty good discovery by the Musea team.Melodic and at the same time technical Fusion with a rich sound, of course strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

These Japanese guys sure know their jazz and their jazzrock, and on these 8 live recordings they play amazing music, at times pure jazz in structure and with ample room for improvisational details, soloing, instrumental build-ups and all else you'd expect. In addition, ever present smooth synths and occasionally some cool blues-tinged atmospheres emphasise the fusion part of this band's stylistic repertoire. And the compositions are groovy as hell too.

While this 2007 production may not be the traditional jazzrock your parents or grandparents might want to give a spin, those who have an interest in the fusion of rock and jazz should at some point check out what this fine Japanese band are up to. By preference one of their live productions, as the musicianship in itself is a fascinating part of the overall whole.