James Muller - Kaboom
At Wangaratta this year John Scofield said
that Kaboom "Blew me away" Here's part of
John Mcbeaths review: "Perhaps the most
eagerly awaited performance
was the pairing of Scofield with the trio of
Sydney-based guitarist James Muller. It was a
case of the disciple joining the guru. Muller
introduced Scofield as "my hero", and when
Scofield appeared, he said: "Now I'm in
trouble." He needn't have worried: the two
guitars fitted together as one instrument in
unison passages, then exchanged solos that
shot into a guitar euphoria. One would take
the other's idea and continue with the
sequence, extending or rephrasing it and
stoking the excitement to a point of glorious
eruption. Scofield declared that Muller was
"the most exciting guitar player I've heard
in years, and it's a privilege to play with
him."
"I love James Muller.... He's a great guitar player" Allan Holdsworth "This is a great album. James has it all.... I love his playing"
John Scofield.
CD of the week - Sydney Morning Herald.
Even in the age of mediocrity being worshipped and celebrity being an end in itself, cultural cringe is still alive and thriving down under. When Pat Metheny or John Scofield come to Australia they sell out concerts at hefty ticket prices and are rightly lauded as among the finest jazz guitarists alive.
Meanwhile a more remarkable one is operating right in our midst, performing to people paying the price of a couple of drinks at the Excelsior Hotel or The Sound Lounge. More remarkable? James Muller? In terms of melodic ingenuity, yes. His sound and the lines he weaves place him with saxophonists Mark Simmonds and Bernie McGann as among those
Australians to have an utterly unique voice and approach to jazz improvisation. With "Kaboom" another chapter is added to the Muller story, which began with a rather tentative arrival in Sydney from Adelaide a decade ago, although he was soon shaking up the scene with a sense of melody that was already all his own. In 2004 he won the Freedman/Music Council of Australia Jazz Fellowship, using the loot to hire a New York studio and the brilliance and experience of bassist Matt Penman and drummer Bill Stewart.
The result is startling and his best recording to date, capturing something of the all-engulfing waves of energy, beauty and passion which Muller routinely unleashes in little bars
around town. That it does not exclusively contain those waves is not so much an indictment of the disc as an indication of just how astonishing Muller can be. I don't mean astonishing in any technical sense (although that aspect of his playing is certainly impressive), but live there is a devil-may-care edge that he finds hard to replicate in the studio. What is on offer, though, is perhaps the most exciting jazz guitarist in the world
inventing melodies to make you laugh in disbelief ("D BLUES") and cry at their loveliness (the exquisite " Eindhoven"); lines to jolt you with their unexpected starts, stops and leaps, and pin you back in your chair with their power.
Stewart's imaginative agility and sophisticated sense of detail have the drums twisting and turning with, and in parallel to, the guitar, continually flecking the lines with highlights and shadows. The latter are deepened by Penman, who also keeps a tight hold of the harmonic string attached to Muller's dazzling, diving, soaring kite. Outstanding.
John Shand SMH
" Back in stock with a new glossy cover!
Muller offers a milky tone and effortlessly inventive lines " 3 Stars - Downbeat January 2007
Kaboom review !
Rating: ****1/2
Right from the opening this album explodes with the promise of its title. Sydney guitarist Muller has scored a triumph, enlisting drummer Bill Stewart from US guitar maestro John Scofield’s trio, for this New York session. Initially Stewart had vetoed the gig without hearing the Australian, but on auditioning Muller’s work, phoned back to sign on. And what an asset he is!
The guitar/drums interplay lifts everything to a higher level of integration, like a musical version of 3D chess, often at full throttle. Muller’s flashing curvilinear solos never slip a note as high energy and profuse ideas pour out. US bassist Matt Penman supplies adequate foundations, if a little boomy at the low end, but his well thought-out solos more than compensate.
A tribute to US pianist Chick Corea opens with solo multiple cymbals against a jiggy light groove before the guitar arrives to state a swinging chorded theme. All tracks are original, save for an uptempo All The Things You Are, and Muller gets enough guitar tonal variety, that, added to the sheer brilliance of playing, makes this a must-have CD.
John McBeath Weekend Australian
Nominated for ARIA Award - Best Jazz album.
Geography is the only reason that James Muller isn't as well-known as he should be. Having spent most of his life in his native Australia, the guitarist, now in his early thirties, has racked up a significant number of releases including Sonic Fiction's Changing With the Times, pianist Mark Isaac's Closer and the recent JazzGroove Mothership Orchestra's The Mothership Plays the Music of Mike Nock. Fusion fans may know him for his recent work with drummer Chad Wackerman. Every project seems to reveal another side to this virtuosic player, begging the question: will the real James Muller please stand up?
Kaboom, Muller's fourth album as a leader, comes from a session recorded during time spent in New York. He may be the sum of his influences, but his own voice emerges on this set of five self-penned tunes, plus two by fellow Aussie Sean Wayland and one standard. Muller eschews the heavily overdriven tone he used with Wackerman for a cleaner and occasionally chorused tone that's still got plenty of bite. Bassist Matt Penman and drummer Bill Stewart round out a trio rooted in the mainstream, but still filled with plenty of surprises.
Muller's chordal approach resembles John Scofield's, though he's less blues-informed. He communicates a hint of folksiness at times that references Pat Metheny, but he avoids any of the guitar icon's signatures, though his solo style is equally focused. The occasional descending legato run suggests Allan Holdsworth, but he's less abstruse in nature and isn't averse to letting his guitar sound like a guitar.
The charts are primarily solo vehicles, but they're memorable, despite their brevity. There's plenty of room to stretch, but Muller's innate sense of construction never loses sight of the bigger picture. Peppering linear phrases with attractive chordal voicings, Muller creates tension by taking things ever so slightly outside, but never at the expense of melodic development; this quality is shared by Stewart, one of today's most distinctly musical drummers.
The trio swings hard on D Blues, evokes bittersweet melancholy on the balladic Eindhoven and burns brightly on the fiery Chick Corea. There's plenty of energy, but despite Muller's pungent tone, the overall vibe is more about smooth surfaces than sharp edges. While there's underlying form, there's also a strong simpatico that lets the trio take enough chances to keep listeners on their toes.
With the number of guitarists flooding the jazz scene these days, it's hard to stand out, but Muller does just that on Kaboom, further evidence of a vibrant Australian scene that's still waiting to be discovered by an international audience.
John Kelman - AllAboutJazz
Tracks: Honeycombs; Kaboom; Stacked; D Blues; Eindhoven; Chick Corea; Marcello; All the Things You Are.
Proudly released by BIRDLAND RECORDS
| 
