Search - Robben Ford :: Schizophonic

Awesome

Pietro Braione | Milano, MI Italy | 05/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the jazz records I like most, turning back to it often. The lineup is almost perfect: bass, drums, fender rhodes keyboards and Robben Ford on the guitar, with the exception of the first and last number where he switches to the alto sax. It results a mellow yet intense sound which characterizes and unifies the album. The succession of the numbers fits the title. The first is a mid-tempo swing: the theme is quietly presented, a brief electric piano solo follows and then the sax gradually raises the tension, screams, and then goes back to silence. The second number is a gloomy, slow swing in three where the long guitar solo is intertwined by keyboards interventions. Then the mood changes; the next piece raises the tension with a mid-tempo funky rhythm, accelerates to a climax and then calms down, ending with an intense, layered guitar solo. The next piece is a sort of slight reprise of the previous one, opened by a great yet extremely simple attack. The fifth piece changes again the pace as it is a latin beat, possibly the most leisured moment of the whole record. The close is a ballad, actually a free form dialogue between the keyboards and a delayed saxofone, softly leading the listener to the natural conclusion of the album.

The work is a snapshot of a young, creative artist in a state of grace, where everything - sound, composition, variety - just works. It is a shiny little gem that keeps on fascinating me after all these years. So perfectly beautiful that I cannot even think to listen to anything else Robben Ford has produced.

By the way, I cannot understand the previous comment on this album. Robben Ford is credited to have written every piece in the album, and he extensively plays on all of them. Also, tt doesn't resemble me a movie soundtrack at all."