Mercury - An excellent record
Scott | Charlottesville, VA | 09/07/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Besides giving me his wonderful gift of his own music, Dave Matthews has opened the door to a whole section of music that I was missing out on. Upon entering graduate school at UVa I've made the journey to the downtown mall a handfull of times to check out John D'earth at Miller's. I had always heard about this magical musical place, and let me tell you they were right, John, and Dawn Thompson, and Jamal Milner, and Greg Howard, all the names I had heard so many great things about, are just that, they're great great musicians. Thursday nights have never been so fun. This new record features some incredible jazz, I can't turn off Moment by Moment or Ether. You can feel Carter the whole record, his explosive percussion is a phenomenal backing to this record. For the Dave fan in me the haunting lead on Copeland's Darkness is very cool. Both the Live Thursday Night and Mercury records have taken their place alongside the rest of my expansive DMB collection on the top shelf. Explore these musicians and these two records, you won't regret it."
It's not your ordinary jazz
Scott | 02/24/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Some people think that jazz has already reached its peak and that it's been steadily declining since the 1960s. These people have not listened to Thompson D'earth. "Mercury" is a great example of how Jazz Fusion is the wave of the future. These guys blend swing, bebop, Free and avant-garde, creating not your typical type of jazz. They keep your foot tapping and your mind guessing. To fuse it even more they throw in a splash of pop rock with the angelic voice of Dave Matthews on Copeland's "Darkness", and Carter Beauford on drums throughout the entire album.
This album has become a permanent fixture in my cd player, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys good music. If you want to go a little more raw, check out "Live at Millers" - you'll be blown away."