''ON'''
OCTOBER 2 2015
47:17
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1 Surprised 08:00
2 Where Somewhere 06:10
3 Pressure Point 03:34
4 Train Man 07:53
5 Diversion 05:45
6 Falling 04:56
7 Logan (Would've Sounded Great on This) 05:20
8 Transparent 05:36
All Tracks By Jane Getter
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Bryan Beller/Bass Guitar
Jane Getter/Guitar, Producer, Vocals
Corey Glover/Vocals
Adam Holzman/Keyboards
Alex Skolnick/Guitar
Theo Travis/Flute, Sax (Soprano)
Chad Wackerman/Drums
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REVIEW
Dw Dunphy, www.popdose.com
When I was first presented with the opportunity to review On, the debut album from the band Jane Getter Premonition, I did not fully read through the PR materials. It is common practice for reviewers not to until after they have listened, in order to base opinions strictly on the music and not create preconceived impediments. So I’m reading that band name, thinking, “Ugh, what a terrible name for a band. What the heck is a ‘Jane-getter’ anyway?” It turns out a Jane Getter is a person named Jane Getter, and she’s a pretty great guitar player. D’oh.
(I like the band name much better now that I know what it means, by the way.)
So how’s the music? Impressive, difficult, often very prog-rock as advertised, but that’s not a bad thing. The overall feel of On is heavy jazz. Think of an intersection between Larks Tongue In Aspic King Crimson and Power and the Glory Gentle Giant, with the weight leaning more toward the instrumentation than the singing. On the average track, you won’t hear a human voice until well into a minute.
Getter’s backing band is top-notch. Adam Holzman is on the keyboards, Chad Wackerman plays percussion, and Bryan Beller holds down bass. Theo Travis guests with woodwinds & flute, and Testament shredder Alex Skolnick contributes as well. One of the best moments on the album is the track “Train Man” featuring one of rock’s best vocalists, Living Colour’s Corey Glover. Glover sings rather low and calmly at the outset, with distortion over the vocals that made this listener unsure of exactly who it was. But by the time we have reached the mid-section, he is brought fully into his own with a full roar. It works perfectly, and the surrounding track recalls Living Colour’s hard rock-with-jazz-chops ethos very well.
On is not what I would call a “populist prog” album, in that there are few tracks that would fit on a classic rock radio station, if such a thing exists anymore. This one is deadly serious, but it is also a treat to hear Getter and company really go for it. Recommended for those in the know, and for those that take the time to read before they jump in.
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BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Alex Henderson
Based in New York, the flexible jazz guitarist Jane Getter has played everything from fusion and pop-jazz to straight-ahead post-bop and hard bop. Getter's influences are far-reaching; Wes Montgomery and George Benson have affected her playing, but so have fusion guitarists like John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, Al DiMeola, and John Scofield (who she studied with). Getter is originally from New Jersey; she moved to the Bay Area to attend San Francisco State University but ended up returning to the East Coast and making New York her home. In the 1980s, the guitarist enjoyed a stint with organist Jack McDuff, but after leaving his employ, she didn't stick to the type of soul-jazz/hard bop that he was known for -- far from a purist, Getter made it clear that she was the sort of musician who could play fusion one minute and straight-ahead jazz the next. After moving to New York, she studied privately with John Scofield, Jack Wilkins, and Chuck Loeb and was employed by artists who ranged from violinist Michael Urbaniak to saxman Joe Lovano and pianist Kenny Barron. In the late '90s, Getter led her own fusion/crossover band, employing such notables as keyboardist Adam Holtzman and bassist Victor Bailey. Both of those musicians appear on Getter's first album, Jane, which came out on Lipstick in 1998.
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WEBSITE
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