JOHN BASILE
''PENNY LANE''
2015
47:16
1 Eleanor Rigby 04:54
2 Fool On The Hill 03:58
3 Penny Lane 04:44
4 And I Love Her 04:23
5 A Day In The Life 04:12
6 While My Guitar Gently Weeps 04:50
7 Here There And Everywhere 03:52
8 I Want To Hold Your Hand 05:41
9 Can't Buy Me Love 03:10
10 Norwegian Wood 04:58
11 In My Life 02:29
REVIEW
By michaelsmusiclog.blogspot.com.br
Every once in a while I meet someone who claims not to be a Beatles fan, and I immediately stab that person in the chest because obviously he’s a member of an alien race bent on the destruction of humanity, and I just don’t stand for that kind of thing, you understand. There have been an incredible amount of Beatles covers done over the years, and for good reason: those guys wrote quite a few phenomenal songs. Beatles tunes have been done in just about every musical style you can think of, and that of course includes a lot of jazz covers. Jazz guitarist John Basile’s new CD, Penny Lane, dedicates itself entirely to Beatles material. This album has lots of mellow vibes, often with a bit of a Latin flavor. It focuses on the band’s middle period (there is nothing from Abbey Road or Let It Be), and the majority of the tracks are Paul McCartney songs. John Basile is the only musician on this album, using midi programing on the guitar to create all the other sounds.
This CD opens with “Eleanor Rigby,” and John Basile goes in some interesting directions with this one, while maintaining the basic structure and heart of the song. The main guitar follows the vocal line, and it’s hard not to sing along with it. John follows that with “The Fool On The Hill,” which here is titled “A Fool On The Hill” for some reason, and then “Penny Lane.” It’s with “Penny Lane” that this CD begins to get really interesting. There is some wonderful and joyous guitar playing on this track. It kind of carries you along, with uplifting vibes. I actually wish it were a little longer, because as it fades out it seems to be going in a different direction. He also finds some interesting places to take the largely mellow “And I Love Her,” especially in the middle of the track.
The only song that John Basile covers from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is “A Day In The Life,” and oddly this jazz cover is shorter than The Beatles’ original version. It has quite a different feel from the original, sounding brighter, which I’m not sure works. And it’s lacking that incredible build and final note from the original. But there is some great guitar work here. The only song from The White Album covered here is George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” on the CD case erroneously attributed to Lennon and McCartney. This is the only Harrison composition on this CD, and here it’s given a Latin rhythm.
John Basile delivers a sweet rendition of “Here, There And Everywhere,” following it with an interesting version of “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” the only early Beatles song on this album. Here John Basile stretches out, more than doubling the length of the original, and gives the song a very different tone and vibe. It’s perhaps the most surprising track on this release, as I wouldn’t have guessed this would be the song that would get the longer treatment. The way “Can’t Buy Me Love” is handled also comes as a surprise. It opens with some funky guitar that catches you off guard at first, and maybe seems a bit misplaced, but as the tune gets going, it begins to work and make sense. Though at times this track feels a bit odd to me, there is some seriously good guitar playing.
Penny Lane concludes with two of my favorite Beatles tunes: “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” (here simply titled “Norwegian Wood”) and “In My Life.” This version of “Norwegian Wood” has a bit of swing to it, which actually works quite well. And this is another track that goes in some interesting territory, with lots of space to move, as it’s more than twice the length of the original. This is one of my personal favorites from this CD. “In My Life” is fairly faithful to the feel and spirit of the original, and is probably the prettiest track on this release. There is a lot of heart and love in the playing, making it quite effective.
BIOGRAPHY/OFFICIAL WEBSITE
When asked about his most important influences, the first two names he mentions are not other guitar players; Frank Sinatra heads the list and then Bill Evans. Perhaps this explains why John Basile is one of a select group of jazz instrumentalists who doesn’t sound like everyone else. He particularly likes to play in the duo and trio formats to exploit the intimacy those settings present for both player and listener.
Musically, his guitar style utilizes a finger-style technique that approaches the guitar like a piano. For John, the challenge of comping harmonic chord fragments and playing melodies simultaneously provides a backdrop for a more open style of playing and improvising.
His labels, Underhill Jazz and now StringTime Jazz, have produced five innovative and critically distinguished releases: "Amplitudes" - solo guitar improvisations; "No Apologies" - featuring Pat Bianchi on organ and Carmen Intorre on drums for a soulful organ trio with a modern approach to unique standards; "Time Will Reveal" - featuring Joe Locke on vibes and Bassist David Finck showcasing a modern jazz guitar approach to pop tunes; "Animations" – with John Ambercrombie in duo with Basile exploring the essence of string improvisations of standards and originals; and "It Was A Very Good Year" – an eclectic exploration of jazz, folk, and pop tunes featuring two trios.
Summer 2015 sees the release of "Penny Lane" a jazz guitar collection of Beatles tunes on StringTime Jazz.
Guitar icon Jim Hall says “John Basile’s playing has the essence of great jazz guitar: beautiful tone, marvelous swing, terrific technique, and excellent phrasing. You can’t ask for more!” Legendary guitarist, John Abercrombie hails “John’s new CD has one of the most appropriate titles! Great Playing, Great Tunes, Great Sound…"No Apologies" needed!”
John Basile is a formidable, sought after educator and clinician, offering a variety of educational outreach programs to colleges and universities here and around the world. He also works in the field of radiology and manages a large Medical Group in the NY area and is professional boxing judge with the NYS Athletic Commision. John has judged championship fights at Madison Square Garden, the Barclay center in NY, and in Mexico.
WEBSITE
TO THE TOP
''PENNY LANE''
2015
47:16
1 Eleanor Rigby 04:54
2 Fool On The Hill 03:58
3 Penny Lane 04:44
4 And I Love Her 04:23
5 A Day In The Life 04:12
6 While My Guitar Gently Weeps 04:50
7 Here There And Everywhere 03:52
8 I Want To Hold Your Hand 05:41
9 Can't Buy Me Love 03:10
10 Norwegian Wood 04:58
11 In My Life 02:29
REVIEW
By michaelsmusiclog.blogspot.com.br
Every once in a while I meet someone who claims not to be a Beatles fan, and I immediately stab that person in the chest because obviously he’s a member of an alien race bent on the destruction of humanity, and I just don’t stand for that kind of thing, you understand. There have been an incredible amount of Beatles covers done over the years, and for good reason: those guys wrote quite a few phenomenal songs. Beatles tunes have been done in just about every musical style you can think of, and that of course includes a lot of jazz covers. Jazz guitarist John Basile’s new CD, Penny Lane, dedicates itself entirely to Beatles material. This album has lots of mellow vibes, often with a bit of a Latin flavor. It focuses on the band’s middle period (there is nothing from Abbey Road or Let It Be), and the majority of the tracks are Paul McCartney songs. John Basile is the only musician on this album, using midi programing on the guitar to create all the other sounds.
This CD opens with “Eleanor Rigby,” and John Basile goes in some interesting directions with this one, while maintaining the basic structure and heart of the song. The main guitar follows the vocal line, and it’s hard not to sing along with it. John follows that with “The Fool On The Hill,” which here is titled “A Fool On The Hill” for some reason, and then “Penny Lane.” It’s with “Penny Lane” that this CD begins to get really interesting. There is some wonderful and joyous guitar playing on this track. It kind of carries you along, with uplifting vibes. I actually wish it were a little longer, because as it fades out it seems to be going in a different direction. He also finds some interesting places to take the largely mellow “And I Love Her,” especially in the middle of the track.
The only song that John Basile covers from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is “A Day In The Life,” and oddly this jazz cover is shorter than The Beatles’ original version. It has quite a different feel from the original, sounding brighter, which I’m not sure works. And it’s lacking that incredible build and final note from the original. But there is some great guitar work here. The only song from The White Album covered here is George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” on the CD case erroneously attributed to Lennon and McCartney. This is the only Harrison composition on this CD, and here it’s given a Latin rhythm.
John Basile delivers a sweet rendition of “Here, There And Everywhere,” following it with an interesting version of “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” the only early Beatles song on this album. Here John Basile stretches out, more than doubling the length of the original, and gives the song a very different tone and vibe. It’s perhaps the most surprising track on this release, as I wouldn’t have guessed this would be the song that would get the longer treatment. The way “Can’t Buy Me Love” is handled also comes as a surprise. It opens with some funky guitar that catches you off guard at first, and maybe seems a bit misplaced, but as the tune gets going, it begins to work and make sense. Though at times this track feels a bit odd to me, there is some seriously good guitar playing.
Penny Lane concludes with two of my favorite Beatles tunes: “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” (here simply titled “Norwegian Wood”) and “In My Life.” This version of “Norwegian Wood” has a bit of swing to it, which actually works quite well. And this is another track that goes in some interesting territory, with lots of space to move, as it’s more than twice the length of the original. This is one of my personal favorites from this CD. “In My Life” is fairly faithful to the feel and spirit of the original, and is probably the prettiest track on this release. There is a lot of heart and love in the playing, making it quite effective.
BIOGRAPHY/OFFICIAL WEBSITE
When asked about his most important influences, the first two names he mentions are not other guitar players; Frank Sinatra heads the list and then Bill Evans. Perhaps this explains why John Basile is one of a select group of jazz instrumentalists who doesn’t sound like everyone else. He particularly likes to play in the duo and trio formats to exploit the intimacy those settings present for both player and listener.
Musically, his guitar style utilizes a finger-style technique that approaches the guitar like a piano. For John, the challenge of comping harmonic chord fragments and playing melodies simultaneously provides a backdrop for a more open style of playing and improvising.
His labels, Underhill Jazz and now StringTime Jazz, have produced five innovative and critically distinguished releases: "Amplitudes" - solo guitar improvisations; "No Apologies" - featuring Pat Bianchi on organ and Carmen Intorre on drums for a soulful organ trio with a modern approach to unique standards; "Time Will Reveal" - featuring Joe Locke on vibes and Bassist David Finck showcasing a modern jazz guitar approach to pop tunes; "Animations" – with John Ambercrombie in duo with Basile exploring the essence of string improvisations of standards and originals; and "It Was A Very Good Year" – an eclectic exploration of jazz, folk, and pop tunes featuring two trios.
Summer 2015 sees the release of "Penny Lane" a jazz guitar collection of Beatles tunes on StringTime Jazz.
Guitar icon Jim Hall says “John Basile’s playing has the essence of great jazz guitar: beautiful tone, marvelous swing, terrific technique, and excellent phrasing. You can’t ask for more!” Legendary guitarist, John Abercrombie hails “John’s new CD has one of the most appropriate titles! Great Playing, Great Tunes, Great Sound…"No Apologies" needed!”
John Basile is a formidable, sought after educator and clinician, offering a variety of educational outreach programs to colleges and universities here and around the world. He also works in the field of radiology and manages a large Medical Group in the NY area and is professional boxing judge with the NYS Athletic Commision. John has judged championship fights at Madison Square Garden, the Barclay center in NY, and in Mexico.
WEBSITE
TO THE TOP
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