Penetration Moon - Penetration Moon - VINYL LP

First album in years, co-produced by keyboardist George Whitty, is both smooth & swinging, with nods to George Benson, Pat Martino & Wes Montgomery. Years in Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe, veteran guitarist Bill Moio has crafted a gem in Try This. Co-produced by keyboardist-arranger George Whitty who has toured and/or recorded with Herbie Hancock, The Brecker Brothers, and Grover Washington Jr., guitar aficionados and smooth jazz fans alike will be introduced to this talent deserving wider recognition, who has been flying under the radar. From the funky Tower of Power-inspired title track to the soulful, blues-tinged Struttin', the gorgeous ballad Friends Again and smooth jazz cruising numbers, Chuckles and Straight Talk, Moio and his cohort Whitty concocted a virtual two-man show on Try This through their accomplished keyboard sampling/sequencing technology and adept drum programming. The result is quite organic-sounding and authentic, while the guitarist unleashes his remarkably fluent chops in scintillating fashion. Along the way, the native of South Portland, Maine and resident of Paradise Valley, Arizona also sneaks in a few tips of the hat to guitar heroes Pat Martino (720 Berkeley and I've Heard It All Before) and Wes Montgomery (particularly his thumbed octaves work on Straight Talk, Let It Begin and Chuckles). A cadre of colleagues with alto saxophonist Eric Marienthal, bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Tom Brechtlein, appear as special guests on two tracks, Try This and Struttin' (Brechtlein also appears separately on Need to Know). Trumpeter Wayne Bergeron and trombonist Andy Martin bulk up the synthesized horn section on Struttin' and the Latin flavored closer, Arroz con Pollo. And the full sounding complement of digital horns and strings on I've Heard It All Before and Friends Again sound as convincing as the real deal.

Prodigy - Invaders Must Die [COMPACT DISCS] UK - Import date 02/24/2009

On his acclaimed LPs with his experimental rock band Wilder Maker, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Gabriel Birnbaum's animus has been breaking molds. Records like 2018's sprawling concept album Zion and last year's guest-lead-singer-filled treasure trove Male Models highlighted the 37-year-old musician's penchant for formal adventurousness, stylistic pivots, and lyrical verbosity-the kind that mirrors the flow of a warm and spirited conversation, betraying a fascination with influences from Bob Dylan to Billy Woods. On his albums billed to Gabriel Birnbaum, he focuses on economy and direct emotional resonance, bending classic American songforms to his will. Following 2019's Not Alone-and coming after a busy period of production and arranging work for artists like Mutual Benefit and Katie Von Schleicher-his stunning new solo album Patron Saint of Tireless Losers is the most immediate and narratively kaleidoscopic collection of songs of his career-both deeply personal and enigmatic in a way that encourages serial relistens. With sensitivity and patience, Birnbaum cuts straight to the spiritual essence of the characters he inhabits, painting affecting and lovingly drawn scenes bolstered by cathartic hooks.Recorded in the winter of 2019, Patron Saint-like Not Alone-channels the production methodology of Neil Young and Crazy Horse made in a few days with none of the players having heard the material ahead of time. Birnbaum-an accomplished saxophonist as well as guitarist and singer-has one foot in the world of NYC jazz and avant-garde music, and works with players who mix indie rock and Americana bonafides with free-improv instincts Will Graefe (guitar/bass), Adam Brisbin (guitar/bass), and Jason Nazary (drums). The spontaneity of the playing shapes the dramatic situation in each track; at turns, they build to the point of obscuring the chord structure and exploding the tempo