Search - Metro :: Express

With the release of their sixth CD, Express , the band Metro celebrates fourteen years of musical collaboration and exploration based on their shared passion for the sonic and musical adventures of the 60 s and 70 s; when artists such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Weather Report and John McLaughlin s Mahavishnu Orchestra began combining jazz, rock, electronica and world music, thus expanding the boundaries of all of improvised music. Express is a continuation in this direction, or genre, which has come to be known as Fusion . Having crossed paths during their early years in New York City in recording sessions and the local club scene, pianist/keyboardist Mitchel Forman and guitarist Chuck Loeb soon found themselves sharing the stage as members of the Stan Getz Group in the early 1980 s. But it wasn t until 1994, after touring and recording with the Bill Evan s groundbreaking Petite Blonde project, that they joined forces with drummer Wolfgang Haffner and bassist Anthony Jackson and recorded their first CD {Metro Lipstick Records } and did their first tour. Jackson was a well-established bassist at the time, and brought the younger Haffner along who had been a member of the German fusion group Passport. Since then they have recorded four more studio albums and one live CD featuring Forman, Haffner and Loeb, and several different bassists: Victor Bailey, Mel Brown, and Jerry Brooks. On Express , they have joined forces with world-renowned bassist, vocalist, composer, and producer Will Lee adding a fresh new dynamic and energy to the band. The songs on Express range from the intense sonic soundscapes of Slow Down and Rio Frio to funky blues based jaunts like Sloth , the up-tempo Absynth Blues and even a bit of Euro-Techno on the title track Express . The band turns a bit more introspective on Tell Me A Thousand Times and Nuna with Forman s lush keyboards and Haffner s light touch on brushes setting up a simmering slow burn.