HEAVY MACHINERY (WITH JENS JOHANSSON AND ALLAN HOLDSWORTH)

This is one of those special projects that doesn't happen often, when a few marvelous players get together to do a truly liberated collection of music. The Johansson Brothers (Sweden) have been making great heavy prog for years with many top people and this is one of the best documents of that run, putting Jens (keys), Anders (drums) and master axeman Allan Holdsworth in the same room to weave some spankin' progressive jams. This mercurial combination makes Heavy Machinery one of the hottest and hippest instrumental CDs around.

Maybe I shouldn't review an album like this that I simply don't bother to listen to more than once, pressing the NEXT button several times to make it a quicker task. There is a type of music that everytime seems to leave me cold, and if it could be summarized in a word, I guess the word would be JAMMING. A kind of music where the emphasis is in the technically superb playing itself, not in the contents of the music, ie. emotions, if you like. (This holds true to 'art music' as well: a virtuoso Paganini violin solo is pure torture to me!) Here you hear a power trio of a drummer, a guitarist (Allan Holdsworth, who is considered as one of the top axemen in the rock/jazz world) and a keyboard player (with a heavy rock background). All the tracks seem to be in the same vein, fast and tight playing. "Modal groove riff sequences with long improvized stretches", right. Not my cup of tea.

Excellent work of modern fusion power trio. Great and not very usual for late 90-s technical guitar -led jazz rock of highest standard.

For me, this album is more Alan Holdsworth work, even if Johansson brothers participation is very important. I really can hardly remember so good balance of technical skills, melodies, improvisations recorded at the time this album was released . Even comparing with Allan Holdsworth's works,released under his own name, this album is really great work!

Alan Holdsworth's participation gave not only great guitar sound (and great name) there, but bring excellent improvs atmosphere to usually more rock-oriented Johansson's music. Rare very successful combination on the border of jazz fusion and instrumental rock.

Must have release for any Holdsworth fan, very good music for all jazz rock fans as well.