NIACIN
''HIGH BIAS''
APRIL 28 1998
68:50
1/High Bias
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/6:06
2/Birdland
Joe Zawinul/6:33
3/Slapped Silly
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/4:47
4/Montuno
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/6:24
5/Revenge
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/8:14
6/Cool to the Touch
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/6:07
7/Darkside
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/4:25
8/It's the Little Things
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/5:25
9/Soul Diversion
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/5:04
10/Who Cares If It's Raining
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/4:16
11/Hang Me Upside Down
Chick Corea/11:29
Alex Acuña /Guest Artist, Percussion
Dennis Chambers /Drums
Chick Corea /Composer, Fender Rhodes, Guest Artist
Kenwood Dennard /Drums, Guest Artist
Ray Griffin /Drums
John Novello /Arranger, Composer, Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Synthesizer
Billy Sheehan /Bass, Composer
Pat Torpey /Drums, Guest Artist
Joe Zawinul /Composer
REVIEW
by Alex Henderson
Niacin showed a great deal of promise on its self-titled debut album of 1996, and there were no signs of the infamous sophomore slump on the fusion trio's second album, High Bias. Recalling the '70s experiments of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever and the Billy Cobham/George Duke Band, this exciting CD served as a reminder that the freedom of jazz and the intensity of rock can complement one another in a major way. Niacin must have been quite a learning experience for its bassist Billy Sheehan, whose main pre-Niacin gig had been his hard rock band Mr. Big. When he formed Niacin with organist/keyboardist John Novello and drummer extraordinaire Dennis Chambers in the mid-'90s, Sheehan proved that he had no problem handling jazz's complexity and challenges, and he proves it once again on everything from the urgent "Slapped Silly" and the Cuban-flavored "Montuno" to the churchy "It's the Little Things" and the cerebral "Hang Me Upside Down" (a song contributed by Stretch Records co-owner and onetime RTF leader Chick Corea, who has a nice cameo on keyboards). Another high point of the CD is Weather Report's "Birdland," which Niacin approaches in a rather angular fashion. Those who like their fusion meaty and improvisatory should make a point of obtaining High Bias.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey Having played straightforward hard rock with Mr. Big since the tail end of the '80s, bass virtuoso Billy Sheehan formed Niacin as an outlet for his jazz fusion and prog rock inclinations during the mid-'90s. The trio also featured keyboardist John Novello and drummer Dennis Chambers, both musicians who had crossed frequently between the worlds of jazz and rock during their careers. With Niacin, Novello devoted himself especially to the Hammond B-3 organ, a longtime mainstay of both jazz and prog rock. The band recorded a self-titled debut album in 1996, following it up in 1998 with High Bias. An import-only concert recording, Live!: Blood, Sweat and Beers, surfaced later that year as well. For their next album, Niacin moved from Stretch to Magna Carta, the label that became virtually synonymous with technique-oriented neo-prog rock at the turn of the millennium. Deep was released in 2000 and featured the group's first vocal track, courtesy of special guest Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), as well as Toto guitarist and session ace Steve Lukather.
''HIGH BIAS''
APRIL 28 1998
68:50
1/High Bias
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/6:06
2/Birdland
Joe Zawinul/6:33
3/Slapped Silly
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/4:47
4/Montuno
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/6:24
5/Revenge
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/8:14
6/Cool to the Touch
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/6:07
7/Darkside
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/4:25
8/It's the Little Things
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/5:25
9/Soul Diversion
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/5:04
10/Who Cares If It's Raining
John Novello / Billy Sheehan/4:16
11/Hang Me Upside Down
Chick Corea/11:29
Alex Acuña /Guest Artist, Percussion
Dennis Chambers /Drums
Chick Corea /Composer, Fender Rhodes, Guest Artist
Kenwood Dennard /Drums, Guest Artist
Ray Griffin /Drums
John Novello /Arranger, Composer, Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Synthesizer
Billy Sheehan /Bass, Composer
Pat Torpey /Drums, Guest Artist
Joe Zawinul /Composer
REVIEW
by Alex Henderson
Niacin showed a great deal of promise on its self-titled debut album of 1996, and there were no signs of the infamous sophomore slump on the fusion trio's second album, High Bias. Recalling the '70s experiments of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever and the Billy Cobham/George Duke Band, this exciting CD served as a reminder that the freedom of jazz and the intensity of rock can complement one another in a major way. Niacin must have been quite a learning experience for its bassist Billy Sheehan, whose main pre-Niacin gig had been his hard rock band Mr. Big. When he formed Niacin with organist/keyboardist John Novello and drummer extraordinaire Dennis Chambers in the mid-'90s, Sheehan proved that he had no problem handling jazz's complexity and challenges, and he proves it once again on everything from the urgent "Slapped Silly" and the Cuban-flavored "Montuno" to the churchy "It's the Little Things" and the cerebral "Hang Me Upside Down" (a song contributed by Stretch Records co-owner and onetime RTF leader Chick Corea, who has a nice cameo on keyboards). Another high point of the CD is Weather Report's "Birdland," which Niacin approaches in a rather angular fashion. Those who like their fusion meaty and improvisatory should make a point of obtaining High Bias.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey Having played straightforward hard rock with Mr. Big since the tail end of the '80s, bass virtuoso Billy Sheehan formed Niacin as an outlet for his jazz fusion and prog rock inclinations during the mid-'90s. The trio also featured keyboardist John Novello and drummer Dennis Chambers, both musicians who had crossed frequently between the worlds of jazz and rock during their careers. With Niacin, Novello devoted himself especially to the Hammond B-3 organ, a longtime mainstay of both jazz and prog rock. The band recorded a self-titled debut album in 1996, following it up in 1998 with High Bias. An import-only concert recording, Live!: Blood, Sweat and Beers, surfaced later that year as well. For their next album, Niacin moved from Stretch to Magna Carta, the label that became virtually synonymous with technique-oriented neo-prog rock at the turn of the millennium. Deep was released in 2000 and featured the group's first vocal track, courtesy of special guest Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), as well as Toto guitarist and session ace Steve Lukather.
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