Finally, it's out! Patience is an album I recorded with my jazz rock band, Paragon, back in 2004. It sat in the can even though it was our best work, so I always felt bad about not releasing it. Thank you digital distribution, for making the process of releasing an album worldwide so darn easy.
Paragon was all about the hard rock/metal end of the jazz rock spectrum, influenced heavily by the Mahavishnu Orchestra and 1970's era Jeff Beck. These hard rock influences were held in check by the influences of the other primary composer in the group, saxophonist Matt Baumann. Those influences were wide ranging, from ECM jazz (no, not that ECM) to singer songwriters like the late Warren Zevon and Tom Waits.
What we wanted to do with Patience was come out and, to be blunt, kick some ass. The bookends to the album, Patience and The Gunslinger certainly do that! But in retrospect, it is alot of the quieter moments I find myself coming back to, especially the haunting "In A Lonely Place." We usually enjoyed putting in one "exploratory" number (which we did in our first album). For this one, we choose "A Short Expedition, No. 1," a tune that I had written way back in the beginning of Paragon's existence (as evidenced by the fact that its sequel, "A Short Expedition No. 2," is on our first album!).
My favorite guitar solo on this album is the one I did at the beginning of bassist Jason Gahler's tune, "Before One." It is some of my most crisp playing that I've ever recorded. But of course there is Ben Wolkins... freaking trumpeter extraordinaire, who lays down ATOMIC BOMB type solos. I'll always remember looking at the other guys in the band after he recorded that stuff; we were like, holy crap, this guy is a MONSTER player. He is also about the nicest guy you'd ever find.
Anyway, I could go on about this album for awhile, which I intend to, so I'd better save that for more posts later!
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