Search - Jimmy Herring :: Lifeboat

Not just for 'spreadheads

Squirreldawg | Jackson, MS | 11/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say that I was more than surprised at how great this album is. Don't get me wrong, I was well aware of Jimmy's skills as a guitarist as he has been the hired gun of choice for the jam scene for many years now. I had no idea that his composition chops were right up there with his playing.



If you are looking at this album as an extension of a Widepsread Panic (his current gig) show/album, you will want to look elsewhere. These songs are modern jazz concepts rather than loose jams. Not dissing on Panic, it's just there's improv and then there's IMPROV and this is the latter. With that said, the music is still very organic and full of feeling.



If you're primarily a jazz fan and may be a skeptic due to hearing "jam band" in a negative connotation, you needn't worry. Jimmy does not "noodle" on guitar in the jam setting and he certainly doesn't when he's playing jazz. This is just great composition played at a very high level.



Do yourself a favor and get this album. It's a shame that XM/Sirius have decided that nobody listens to modern jazz and have cancelled their outlets for music like this. Word-of-mouth may be the only way that one gets to learn about these guys now. Support these guys."

Best Stuff I've Heard in Years!

Cone J. Beckham | Richmond, CA United States | 06/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jimmy Herring is lyrical, soulful, tasteful. He also burns like any MoFo you can name, but never at the expense of making a musical statement. He's got a warm, singing sound, equal parts Holdsworth and Duane Allman, to my ears, and stylistically his harmonic and melodic sense come from these directions as well as from a whole host of Post Bop jazzers. He and Ben Monder are the two most innovative and unique voices in electric guitar since Bill Frisell, though they are not at all alike. Jimmy puts lyricism and melody at the forefront, but he draws deeply from the Post-Bop and Fusion wells at the same time. He is without doubt one of the top electric guitarists playing today.



I'd heard him before, with Col. Bruce and some other projects, and been impressed, but this album combines his stellar playing with compositions that show his maturity, poise, and musicality. The first time I listened to this, I was a bit underwhelmed, given all the hype I'd heard. "Well, it's not blazing" was a first impression...along with a percieved "lack of newness" and a sense that the rhythm section and tunes were more rock than jazz, somehow. However, I recall being moved by a couple of the solos, and on that basis, I kept coming back to it, and listening with more attention. It's been months now, I keep hearing new things, and the beauty and emotions conveyed by Jimmy's solos, his compositions, and the really creative, though subtle, choices by the other players have not dimmed since. This is an Absolute Classic Guitar Album, one for the Ages, without doubt. My only worry now--Jimmy, you set the bar so high, I gotta wonder how you'll manage to raise it!"