Axiom - Starburst

[GA Russell]

 

Artist Title Time       AXIOM Vaporware 05:25       AXIOM Indigo Wave 06:11       AXIOM Magunda 06:03       AXIOM Kings Canyon 06:30       AXIOM Mountain Dream 05:52       AXIOM West Coast Encounter 06:39       AXIOM Deserts 06:58       AXIOM Starburst 04:53       AXIOM Cruising Altitude 05:26     AXIOM Starburst Impacting October 12th, 2020 Format(s): Jazz, Non-Commercial, NPR   Focus Tracks: Jazz-3,6&9  Jam-1&6              “A dynamite little fusion band that will knock your socks off.” –Jazz Times Axiom, the jazz fusion group founded by brothers Pete and Phil Templer, are releasing their first new album in a decade—Starburst. Pete (guitars) and Phil (drums & percussion) are joined on their new album by an eclectic group of stellar musicians - Alan Palmer (Jackie Mclean, Bap Trio) and Frank Villafranca (Bill Watrous) on sax, Jared Stewart (Shadowfax) on keyboards, Bill Owen (ORN, Pell Mell) on bass and synth, and bassists Hussain Jiffry (Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes, Steve Winwood), Brian Mastaski, and Keith Hubacher (Frankie Valli, The Beach Boys). The album’s nine tracks were written by Pete and Phil, who have been composing together for decades, drawing on their varied musical influences and experiences, going back to Pete’s studies at Berklee with Pat Metheny and Steve Morse, and Phil’s drum & percussion instruction with longtime Louis Bellson protégé Gaeton Caviola. The Templers’ musical influences range from Jr. Walker and James Brown to the Allman Brothers and Jimi Hendrix, as well as Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Phil Templer says of Starburst, “I really think the new compositions have a more Progressive Rock edge while still representing the culmination of our diverse musical influences, fusing jazz, Latin, and funk into what we call Contemporary Jazz Fusion.” The album’s energetic opening track, “Vaporware,” will be familiar to fans who have seen the band live, as they use it to open many of their shows. Axiom’s newest song is the multi-textured Afro/Jazz/waltz, “Indigo Wave,” its Latin vibe continuing on “Magunda,” which features Grammy-winner Hussain Jiffry on bass. Axiom has shared the stage with The Rippingtons, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Tom Scott, Uriah Heep, and Jon Anderson of Yes, among others. Their two earlier albums, Spirit of Light (1988) and Tests of Time (2000), garnered several excellent reviews from publications like Jazz Times, Downbeat, and Music Connection (Scott Yanow).           www.AxiomJazz.net

Edited October 8, 2020 by GA Russell