Website
|
McGill Manring Stevens
| "What We Do" |
Released in 2006 / FES-4005 |
|
|
One night of the band's two-week "Controlled By Radar" tour found Scott McGill, Michael Manring, and Vic Stevens booked into a jazz club in Boston. The fusion trio quickly adapted, adding some choice jazz standards to their set list…but with a twist. They performed these classsics their way – a mixture of straight up jazz, fusion and skronk. The crowd was blown away by the originality and the band's audacity. As the band continued their tour the list of standards in their set grew and the response was always overwhelming. It was decided that the band's third album would be a collection of contemporary jazz standards done the MMS way. These are three virtuoso musicians that had individually and collectively already made their mark in the world of fusion. Why not go back to their roots?
If the band was going to cause a fissure in the fabric of the jazz community why not go all the way? Noted guitarist and texturalist producer David Torn (Jeff Beck, Kaki King) was asked to mix the album. The man behind the Splattercell project was given free reign to take the unmixed session tapes and "do his thing" and that is exactly what he did. The results defy all the standards of what a jazz album should sound like. It's a mutated soundscape that will make the trio villains to some and hopefully heroes to many.
John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Sonny Rollins, among others, composed timeless classics that have been ingrained into the souls of jazz listeners for a generation. "What We Do" takes these compositions, breaks them down and reconstructs them both musically and sonically. It offers a unique and controversial interpretation of these tunes that is pure MMS. What We Do is a punk jazz manifesto for a new generation of jazz fans around the world. |
|
 |
 |
| "Controlled by Radar" |
Released in 2002 / FES-4002 |
|
|
After the accolades from the 'muso' press (Bass Player, Modern Drummer and 20th Century Guitar) and tour in support of last year's "Addition By Subtraction", the trio of Scott McGill, Michael Manring, and Vic Stevens made plans to quickly record their follow up. A six day jam session resulted in "Controlled By Radar", a specially priced 2CD set that explores the electric and acousticsides of the trio. The resulting material spans the heavy electric jazz rock of Mahavishnu Orchestra and Brand X to the acoustic world fusion of Shakti.
The album was recorded on a 24 bit/96khz recording system with minimal overdubs. Noted producer/engineer Neil Kernon created an outstanding sonic blockbuster that will test any sound system. The package is rounded out by incredible artwork by noted artist Glenn Barr. |
|
|
| "Addition by Subtraction" |
Released in 2001 / FES-4001 |
|
|
In October 2000, Scott McGill put together a supersession with legendary bassist Michael Manring (Attention Deficit), drummer Vic Stevens (Gongzilla), and guest keyboardist Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater). Super-producer Neil Kernon oversaw the ensuing melee. The end result, Addition by Subtraction is a jaw dropping display of technical virtuosity laced with hooks, melodies, and odd metered rhythms. Destined to become a classic for fans of heavy progressive rock, metal, and fusion.
Here's a sneak preview track, "KVB Liar". What began as an improvised jam between Scott, Michael, and Vic quickly developed into one of the highlights of the album. A cacophony of ring modulation, Zeuhl bass, and polyrhythmic percussion dissolves into a shredding fusion inferno. |
|
|
|
|
