Search - Mark Egan :: Mosaic

How come more people don't know about this guy?

R. L. MILLER | FT LAUDERDALE FL USA | 01/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mark Egan has worked with Pat Metheny, Special EFX and he's guested on three Sting albums as well. But his "primary platform" has been with Danny Gottlieb in Elements. When people think of rock bass, they think Tony Levin, Chris Squire, Walter Becker and Sting. When they think of jazz bass, it's Marcus Miller, Mingus, Stan Clarke, Jaco Pastorius. When Egan works on his own, except for percussion, all parts are played on bass, much like Chris Squire did on Yes' "The Fish", a very tasty coda to "Long Distance Runaround" on "Fragile". The harmonic ring serves to give an electric piano feel to some parts, and the use of an 8-string bass (much like the 12-string guitar--you get an octave effect) gives a brighter tone in the lead parts. As in the song "Ocean Views", a liesurely piece that at times sounds like the more pastoral side of Carlos Santana. Much of the material on this album borders on the niche of new age captained by Shadowfax. Maybe it's because, as is the case with Chris Squire, Egan's playing completely disregards funk in favor of the melodic, bass parts that are almost choral in nature. Whatever the case, this 1980s classic is miraculously still available to a new generation, who have the chance to avoid the error most of mine made in ignoring Mark Egan."