Guitar Zone

• Artist: Various Artists
• Release Date: March 17, 1998
• Total Time: 76:40
• Type: Collection (various artists), Instrumental
• Genre: Rock

Review

Opening with fret master Andy Summers (the Police), "Monk Hangs Ten" (from Synaesthesia), Guitar Zone sets itself out as a daring and perceptive overview of the most expansive and important work done with guitar composition. Each track is off a full-length CMP release. This is no exhibition of mere solo guitar -- each piece is equally demanding of all the instruments involved. The Summers piece relies heavily on the talents of drummer Gregg Bissonette and keyboardist Mitchel Forman. This example of contemporary progressive rock is well mated with another state of the art creation that shows off guitarist Allan Holdsworth and drummer Chad Wackerman. Not everything is over the top and born of modern studio capabilities, though -- the duo of Miroslav Tadic (guitar and classical slide guitar) and Mark Nauseef (drums and gongs) gives a sparse, skeletal piece whose serpentine undulations nicely reflect the title of its source album, The Snake Music. Inexplicably, Jack Bruce is given three tracks here. Because Bruce works with excellent personnel (Eric Clapton and the ex-Zappa Fowler Brothers horn section) his keyboard-drenched forays sound too '80s compared to the rest of the selections. Also unforgettable is the ubiquitous Bill Frisell joining Wayne Horvitz (organ) and Michael Shrieve (drums). Guitarist extraordinaire Nicky Skopelitis puts the sounds of over a half-dozen instruments into one three-minute song for a very hopeful and positive-sounding piece. David Torn makes a one-man show on "Spell Breaks with the Weather." Here "guitars and guitar-like thingies" soar magnificently above deep, deep bass sounds. Also present is Bernie Worrell (Hammond B-3) and Buckethead (guitar) on the requiem-like "The Mask." All 16 tracks push the limits of guitar possibility. ~ Tom Schulte, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Monk Hangs Ten	Andy Summers	Andy Summers	(4:07)
Hamburg 2	Mark Nauseef, Miroslav Tadic	Mark Nauseef	(2:43)
Holiday Insane	Chad Wackerman	Chad Wackerman	(7:21)
Willpower (Lyrics)	Jack Bruce, Pete Brown, Paul Williams Burch Jr.	Jack Bruce	(4:26)
Sam the Man	Michael Shrieve	Michael Shrieve	(4:05)
Uncle Herbie's Dance	Sonny Sharrock	Sonny Sharrock, Nicky Skopelitis	(2:55)
Spell Breaks with the Weather	David Torn	David Torn	(5:50)
Middle Rose	Harald Bernhard, Walter Quintus, Martin Fredebeul, U.K. Rattay	Victory of the Better Man	(3:38)
Manini	Trilok Gurtu, Daniel Goyone	Trilok Gurtu	(7:06)
The Mask	Bernie Worrell, Buckethead	Bernie Worrell	(7:44)
Life on Earth	Jack Bruce	Jack Bruce, Gary Moore, Buckethead	(4:20)
Born Under a Bad Sign	William Bell, Booker T. Jones	Jack Bruce	(6:06)
Envelopes of Dispair	Edward Vesala	Jimi Sumén	(3:59)
Stellar Rays	Shawn Lane, Jonas Hellborg	Michael Shrieve	(3:22)
Nardis	Miles Davis	Wolfgang Muthspiel, Mick Goodrick	(4:56)
Sleep My Love	Charlie Mariano	Philip Catherine, Jasper van't Hof, Philip Mariano	(4:02)

Credits

Nicky Skopelitis (Performer), Nicky Skopelitis (Coral Sitar), Charlie Mariano (Flute), Jack Bruce (Bass), David Torn (Engineer), Buckethead (Effects), David Torn (Vocals), Nicky Skopelitis (Baglama), Wayne Horvitz (Organ), Trilok Gurtu (Drums), Cedric Beatty (Engineer), Chad Wackerman (Performer), Clem Clempson (Guitar), Miroslav Tadic (Producer), Bill Laswell (Producer), Nicky Skopelitis (Guitar (Acoustic)), Philip Mariano (Performer), Gregg Bissonette (Drums), Jimmy Johnson (Bass), Stuart Elliot (Drums), Chad Wackerman (Producer), Oz Fritz (Engineer), Jimi Sumén (Performer), Eric Clapton (Guitar), David Torn (Performer), Shawn Lane (Guitar), Victory of the Better Man (Performer), Andy Summers (Performer), David Torn (Sampling), Michael Shrieve (Producer), Bernie Worrell (Organ (Hammond)), Jasper van't Hof (Keyboards), David Torn (Guitar), Walter Quintus (Mixing), U.K. Rattay (Compilation), Jack Bruce (Vocals), Nicky Skopelitis (Producer), Edward Vesala (Producer), Mick Goodrick (Guitar), Marc Lehan (Drums), Philip Catherine (Performer), Jim Cox (Keyboards), Michael Shrieve (Drums), Gary Moore (Guitar), Kurt Renker (Producer), Henry Lowther (Trumpet), Jack Bruce (Keyboards), Miroslav Tadic (Guitar), Daniel Goyone (Piano), Bernie Worrell (Producer), Andy Summers (Producer), Mick Goodrick (Performer), Bernie Worrell (Performer), Chad Wackerman (Drums), Jim Cox (Organ), Jimi Sumén (Guitar (Electric)), Trilok Gurtu (Producer), Bruce Fowler (Trombone), Pat Metheny (Guitar), Jasper van't Hof (Piano), Sonny Sharrock (Performer), Nicky Skopelitis (Taragat), Gerd Dudek (Sax (Tenor)), Jim Cox (Piano), U.K. Rattay (Guitar), Andy Summers (Mixing), Allan Holdsworth (Guitar), Henrik Lund (Engineer), Bruce Calder (Engineer), David Hentschel (Mixing), Trilok Gurtu (Percussion), Nicky Skopelitis (Guitar (Electric)), Walter Quintus (Executive Producer), Jonas Bruce (Piano), Jimi Sumén (Engineer), Nicky Skopelitis (Bass), Don Gilmore (Engineer), David Torn (Producer), Trilok Gurtu (Tabla), David Colvin (Engineer), Andy Summers (Guitar), Walt Fowler (Trumpet), Shobha Gurtu (Vocals), Philip Catherine (Guitar), Harald Bernhard (Vocals), Mark Nauseef (Gong), Walter Quintus (Producer), Bill Frisell (Guitar), Charlie Mariano (Sax (Soprano)), Jonas Hellborg (Bass), David Hentschel (Producer), Buckethead (Guitar), Simon Phillips (Drums), David Torn (Mixing), Robert Musso (Engineer), Jack Bruce (Producer), Jasper van't Hof (Performer), Martin Fredebeul (Sax (Soprano)), Marc Bertaux (Bass), John Mumford (Trombone), Walter Quintus (Engineer), Nicky Skopelitis (Saz), Shawn Lane (Vocals), Daniel Goyone (Keyboards), Mark Nauseef (Producer), Sonny Sharrock (Guitar (Electric)), Jerry Jr. Watts (Bass), David Torn (Loops), Miroslav Tadic (Slide Guitar), Oz Fritz (Mixing), Martin Fredebeul (Piano), Mitchel Forman (Keyboards), Mark Nauseef (Drums), Dick Heckstall-Smith (Saxophone)