Search - Philip Catherine :: Blue Prince

Blue Prince
Philip Catherine
Blue Prince
Genres: Jazz, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1

Guitarist Phillip Catherine has been at the forefront of European jazz since the 1960s, and the marvelously varied, eminently listenable Blue Prince shows why. Catherine displays a remarkable range of styles and sounds. Ai...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Philip Catherine
Title: Blue Prince
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Dreyfus
Release Date: 1/23/2001
Genres: Jazz, Pop
Styles: Modern Postbebop, Bebop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 764911661421

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Guitarist Phillip Catherine has been at the forefront of European jazz since the 1960s, and the marvelously varied, eminently listenable Blue Prince shows why. Catherine displays a remarkable range of styles and sounds. Aided by the rounded trumpet of Bert Joris and a sensitive rhythm section, he not only shows an encyclopedic knowledge of jazz guitar, but also an impeccable ability to choose the right style to complement each composition. "Coffee Groove" kicks things off with a jostling, edgy sound, à la John Scofield, whereas "Global Warming" showcases a lyrical rock sound, reminiscent of Jeff Beck. Other cuts, such as Richard Rodgers's "With a Song in My Heart" and Eubie Blake's "Memories of You" display Catherine's command of the more traditional jazz idioms, while "Kwa Heri" soars into sonically adventurous territory. This wide-ranging approach, however, never sounds derivative; rather, it puts Catherine's technical fluency at the service of a distinct and explorative musical persuasion. --Wally Shoup
 

CD Reviews

Philip Catherine-Blue Prince...an apt title.
Robert Anthony | 02/18/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)

""Blue Prince" is one of many fine offerings by the often overlooked Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine. Probably the most understated of the fusion-era guitarists, Catherine is an excellent composer who never lets his playing get in the way of his fellow musicians or the composition.

While "Summer Night" and "Transparence" may have the upper hand compositionally, "Blue Prince" is a good introduction to "Youing Django's" mix of bop, blues, gypsy jazz and rock. Some purists may not care for his heavily distorted and compressed tone (I like it, though), but Catherine is a treasure."