Search - Scott Mcgill, Michael Manring, Vic Stevens :: Addition By Subtraction

Fusion is alive and angry.

meshica7 | FL | 12/15/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being a long time fan of Michael Manring and fusion has led me down a dark and disturbing road.Ah, but what a beautiful distubance! Fans of such fusion acts as Return to Forever,Mahavishnu Orchestra,Vertu,Lost Tribe,Tribal Tech,and Vital TechTones will surely not be dissapointed by this offering.From the opening chords of "Zimparty", to the Spanish tinged acoustic vibe of "Euzkadi", the trio of Michael Manring (bass),Scott McGill (guitars),and Vic Stevens (drums) assualt the aural senses with technical prowes and harmonial gymnastics that will fill that fusion void for the most discerning of the 'un-purists".Jordan Rudess (keys)and Neil Kernon (loops) round out the "trio" and it is safe to say that the absence of their contributions would surely be missed (check out the Corea-esque solo on "We are not Amused"). But the real tour guides on this sonic excursion are the core members.Manring's solos are straight forward groove and grind, dipping into the occasional Jaco bag-o-tricks while McGill's own solos harken back to vintage DiMeola and Stern ,with a dash of McLaughlann.Stevens lays down the beat with an impeccable command of the meter,then trows it out and invents his own with ease and precision. The production is smooth throughout and the overall mix lends itself well to a nice set of earphones.A bit of noodling here and there may tempt you to skip to the next tune but don't cheat yourself.There are surprises around every turn and you may miss one hell of a ride.All in all
"+/- Addition by Subtraction" is an effort worthy of a lofty possition along side RTF's Romantic Warrior and any Mahavishnu set worth owning.McGill,Manring,and,Stevens
(along with Rudess and Kernon) may very well be the next real fusion bad boys allowing the beast to scream and howl like no other. Grab your Medeski,Martin,and Wood hippie friends,tie them up, slap a pair of headphones on thier greasy heads,crank up the decibals and do them a favor.Fusion is indeed alive,and very,very angry......"

All I can say is WOW

Brian Milam | 12/18/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After just hearing this cd for the first time I am pleasantly surprised to find out that there are still guys out there who love jaw-dropping fusion like me. As a fusion-loving guitarist myself I was grinning from the first track. It is a little jigsaw puzzle-ish, but I find complex music like this very entertaining. Admittedly the influences are pretty obvious (Holdsworth, UK, Dream Theater, Bruford, et al), but it is done very well and has it's own uniqueness. If you like monster players playing monster fusion, I think you will like this cd."

A Breath of Fresh Air

Nick Galunic | Haddonfield, NJ USA | 07/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

" The American Heritage Dictionary: fu·sion (fyu-zhen) n. Music that blends jazz elements and the heavy repetitive rhythms of rock. Also called jazz-fusion, jazz-rock.Mcgill, Manring, Stevens come together on this truly unique album to make a real impact on this esoteric genre, fusion. Addition by Subtraction is an impressive and refreshing CD because the instrumentation is unlike anything I've ever heard. Scott McGill leads most of the album and a couple of tracks, in fact, are solo. As I've said, the music is truly orgininal and I find myself listenning to it just as I would read a new interesting book, wanting to find out what comes next. Michael Manring does alot more with bass than just bounce around backing up the guitarist and McGill shows off his inhuman picking speed more than once. Vic Stevens also has his own unique take on drums as he backs them up while at the same time doing his own thing. The only reason this CD doesnt deserve a 5 star rating is because it can be a little repetetive. I think this CD could have been condensed if some of the tracks were blended together since they often sound similar anyway. But in conclusion, Addition by Subtraction is a great CD for anyone who is open to new and unusual music and willing to take a chance. This could turn out to be that amazing CD that you try to get all your skeptical friends to buy also."