Marc Klock

Marc Klock Group (USA) - 2004 - "Tentacle Dreams"
(60 min, 'MC')
TRACK LIST:
1. Kaos 3:22
2. Mummy Dearest 5:36
3. Tentacle Dreams 7:41
4. Vibe 6:51
5. Swinging 5:17
6. Chromophobe 8:09
7. Dig 2:35
8. Get Up 6:12
9. On Second Thought 5:46
10. Peace at Sea 3:27
11. Back from Mars 7:38
All tracks: by Klock, except 8: Chen/Klock,
9: Roth/Klock & 11: Paxson/Klock.

LINE-UP:
Marc Klock - guitar
Ed Roth - keyboards
Jerry Goodman - electric violin
Jimmy Paxson Jr. - drums
Phil Chen - bass
With:
David Trough - horn

Produced & mixed by Klock.
Engineered by T. O'Brian.

Prolusion. This is my first acquaintance with the US outfit MARC KLOCK GROUP.
Unfortunately, I don't have any information to tell you whether "Tentacle Dreams" is their debut album or not.

Analysis. Before listening to the CD, I wondered whether Jerry Goodman, who is a member of
this group, is that legendary violinist from Chicago who immortalized his name when being a member of The Flock and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. He is! It has become clear to me right
after I heard the first violin passages, as Jerry's style of playing is unforgettable and, therefore, is immediately recognizable. You'd think that with this strong reference the album would be derivative, but that's not the case. There are many arrangements where the principal soloing parts are equally divided between guitar, electric piano and violin, and those may remind you of
Mahavishnu Orchestra, but exclusively on a structural level. Overall, Marc Klock Group's music
is fresh and unique and, in most cases, is both highly progressive and intriguing. Besides, they
have their own vision of some of those most traditional musical styles that they appeal to. Please
take this remark into consideration and recall it when reading my description of some tracks
below. From the eleven instrumental compositions on this 60-minute album the first five are
exceptionally thrilling, just brilliant. "What an inspired and masterful band, what a tight
playing!" I thought after hearing these, and I am really charmed by them. The album's opener
Kaos is a monster of the highest progressive caliber, and not only. This is the heaviest and most
mesmerizing Jazz Rock number I've ever heard and is actually a new direction, Jazz Metal, with
your permission, though violin and keyboards bring a lot of symphonic warmth to these harsh
textures. Here, as well as on the following four tracks, all the band members work miracles,
which I really didn't expect from contemporary Jazz Rockers. (Here I must note that I separate
Jazz Rock from Jazz-Fusion in spite of their likeness.) Mummy Dearest, the title track, and Swinging are worked out in a similar way and are also notable for intensive, dense, truly hardedged
arrangements, full of everything that a Prog soul is usually eager for. But while the overall
sound is still rather heavy, the number of distinct, Cathedral Metal-like guitar riffs is noticeably
lesser. With the events that aren't so much tense and excited as those on its track list neighbors,
Vibe is full of positive vibes, but is not nearly less intricate and interesting. Marc Klock is a
highly masterful guitar player and is a gifted composer with broad horizons, equally at ease
working with Jazz, Blues, Metal, and also Art-Rock, like on this composition, where his
passages on acoustic guitar are definitely of a symphonic nature, unlike solos of electric guitar
and those of Hammond, violin and bass, which concern quasi-Jazz Fusion in this very case.
What is specifically appealing is, that said, a naturally magical flow in sound throughout each of
the first five tracks. Unfortunately, Jerry's participation on the album turned out to be limited,
and on the further tracks his magic violin either appears episodically or is just absent, as is most
often. By the way, at least one of them is too featureless to completely reject the supposition that Goodman just could disagree about having his hand in its performance. But well, I'd better go step by step. In the middle of the album, the band suddenly turns off the road they've just bravely
paved in virgin musical lands and begins flirting with widespread styles. It was erroneous to call
the fifth track Swinging, and its follow-up Chromophobe, and not vice versa, as that's where the
real Swing, in all its glory. All the solos are as if singing and dancing in a ring (in a good sense) -
round the axis built by the drumming with a typically swinging rhythm, which, alas, didn't
change in tempo down to the end. Though I must admit, this is the only significant flaw here.
Then follows the heavy Rock & Roll number Dig, short, yet solidly impressive, too. In other
words, while not masterworks as the first five compositions, these two are very good tracks,
really. Later, however, the band has completely lost their vigor, looking too tired to get up to
somet - ProgressoR

Marc Klock Group - Tentacle Dreams
Released: 2004
Label: Fusion Studio Recordings
Cat. No.: FSR11103
Total Time: 60:35
Reviewed by: John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg, August 2004

Backed by amongst others the extremely talented bass player Phil Chen and the incredible sounds of ex-Mahavishnu Orchestra and Dixie Dregs violinist Jerry Goodman, to name but two, guitarist Marc Klock most certainly can place a very big smile on his face. Delivering eleven Marc Klock originals, Tentacle Dreams is indeed as its name says, having its multiple sounds
surround you as if they were indeed the tentacles of the Klock beast. So for fusion enthusiasts this might well come as a very interesting surprise indeed!
Whilst with a title like "Mummy Dearest" I thought this would be a tribute for Marc's mum, the moment you absorb these eastern sounds, it becomes clear the "mummy" here is from Egyptian origin, getting "unwrapped" as the music
evolves! Adding an extra keyboard player in the line-up, one can be
frightened that this could mortgage the sound of the guitar, but Ed Roth makes sure his interventions are not upfront in the mix and will most certainly not drown any of the other instruments. I like the way he uses the electric piano in the opening section of the album's title track, making way for Phil's bass, which then opens for some shredding by Marc, which in turn
opens the way for Jerry Goodman. It's as if layer upon layer of music is being built in order to result into a goodie-bag full of musical magic. The song ends with some solitary drum work by Jimmy Paxman, Jr., fusing neatly into "Vibe," sporting some lovely acoustic guitars next to the immortal violin of Goodman.
In "Chromophobe" that electric piano is present in a more profound way, taking turns with Marc's howling guitar outbursts. A very powerful and rocking track indeed, as is "Dig," which has Jerry's violin sound almost like a
mouth-organ here. With the Latin-flavoured "Get Up," we are on a ride towards Santana land or early solo Al Di Meola. If only more percussion was added, together with some impressive horn sections, which could easily
replace those tame synth sounds which sadly do not sound right here. I think the word "socca fusion" could be the most appropriate definition for this one.
"On Second Thought" has exactly the same Al Di Meola feel, once again fuelled by Ed's electric piano. The album closes with what is probably the most aggressive composition on the album. "Back From Mars" (the only cowritten
track written here with drummer Jimmy Paxson) brings heavy
drumming to the fore, accompanied by weird guitar sounds, almost resulting in free jazz chaos.
Contrary to what you might think Tentacle Dreams is not all about guitar, guitar and even more guitar. Instead, Marc Klock places himself into the foreground as the composer of this music sharing his place as a guitarist with the other musicians in the band. So the result becomes equally divided
between the instruments, maybe with a little emphasis on the guitar, but most certainly giving every single instrument enough room to shine and experiment in its own right. It most certainly has become a very varied whole with different textures of the musical scope tackled, yet I'm convinced this
will probably sound ace when given the opportunity to be performed live. In the meantime Marc has begun pre-production on his next project and I only can hope that he uses the same musicians.

More about Tentacle Dreams:
Track Listing: Kaos (3:22) / Mummy Dearest (5:36) / Tentacle Dreams (7:41) /
Vibe (6:51) / Swingin' (5:17) / Chromophobe (8:09) / Dig (2:35) / Get Up (6:12) /
On Second Thought (5:46) / Peace At Sea (3:27) / Back From Mars (7:38)
Musicians:
Marc Klock - guitars
Phil Chen - bass
Jerry Goodman - electric violin
Jimmy Paxman Jr. - drums, percussion
Ed Roth - keys
Guest:
David Through - horn
Contact:
Website: www.marcklock.com

Discography
Tentacle Dreams (2004)

2003 ProgressiveWorld.net - ProgressiveWorld.net

Even more retro is my last stop for this trip, the Marc Klock Group's Tentacle Dreams. If you enjoy(ed) Seventies fusion a la Jeff Beck, Lenny White, and Mahavishnu, you'll go nuts for Tentacle Dreams; I know I do! Guitarist Marc Klock has pulled together some of fusion's original pioneers, as in Mahavishnu violinist Jerry Goodman and bassist Phil Chen, who laid down the bottom on Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow. The group is rounded out by veterans Jimmy Paxson, Jr. on drums and Ed Roth on keyboards, including the compulsory Rhodes piano. Leader Klock is no slouch, either; tastes of Beck, DiMeola, Vai, and McLaughlin reflect in Klock's blazing rock and tasteful blues riffing. Goodman shows that he's still got it with plenty of solos and some fine duos with Klock. The songs are all over the fusion map, from furious rock ("Kaos") to spacey blues ("Vibe," "On Second Thought") to jazzy funk ("Chromophobe"). Highlights are hard to pick out, probably because of the lofty caliber of Klock's composing and the collective musicianship present, but my favorites are the Indian- flavored "Mummy Dearest," the bluesy groove of "On Second Thought" (featuring some fine horn from guest David Trough and a lovely Rhodes solo from Roth), and the very wild "Back From Mars", recorded in honor of McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Great stuff, every bit, but what really puts Tentacle Dreams over the top is the production. Leader Klock chose to forego modern methods and instead recorded the album on analog equipment to capture a genuine Seventies sound, and his choice was a good one: Tentacle Dreams sounds like a true contemporary of the halcyon greats and exudes a warm, organic ("dated" my ass!) tone not generally found on modern digital productions. Fusion fans, take heart - this is the best you're going to hear this year. Don't waste any more time dreaming about the good ol' days - check out Tentacle Dreams as soon as possible, and visit their website at www.marcklock.com.


Tracklisting:
Kaos (3:22) / Mummy Dearest (5:36) / Tentacle Dreams (7:41) / Vibe (6:51) / Swingin' (5:17) / Chromophobe (8:09) / Dig (2:35) / Get Up (6:12) / On Second Thought (5:46) / Peace At Sea (3:27) / Back From Mars (7:38)

Musicians:
Marc Klock - guitars
Phil Chen - bass
Jerry Goodman - electric violin
Jimmy Paxman Jr. - drums, percussion
Ed Roth - keys

Guest:

David Through - horn

Discography:
Tentacle Dreams (2004)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin US

Added: October 3rd 2004
Reviewer: David Cisco - ProgressiveWorld.net

It’s not too often that you find great jazzrock these days. And the last time we stumbled upon
something this good was probably Vertu’s album (deleted now of course!) Mark Klock is a very able
guitarist, and his backing band does not make him ashamed either. Violinplayer Jerry Goodman (Flock, Mahavishnu Orchestra), ex-Jeff Beck/Rod Stewart bass player Phil Chen, Jan Hammer on keyboards and Jimmy Paxson Jr. on drums, who has played with Robben Ford, Steve Vai and Ronnie Montrose to name some. The sound is like a mix of Dixie Dregs
(without the country) and Mahavishnu Orchestra and quite heavy, but far from metal. A great fusion (or as I prefer to call it, jazzrock, since so much fusion is soooo boring) album.
(Per & Martin)
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Rating: 9 - The Missing Piece

Marc Klock Group - Tentacle Dreams
By Josh Turner

Overall Review

This album consists of eleven delicious ditties. Each dish is served in an individual snack
size. It's like a sampler platter for the auditory senses. There are many catchy beats, yet
only a scant amount of repetition. The album remains fresh throughout each course.

Track by Track Review

Kaos: From the get go, you know you're in for a good album. This fuses jazz and rock in the much the same way as Platypus. Jerry Goodman's electric violin throws in a splash of Marc Klock's guitar growls like Eddie Van Halen's in Hot for the Teacher. Phil Coen's bass,
Paxon Jr.'s drums, and Ed Roth's keys gives this the touch and texture of Dixie Dregs.

Mummy Dearest: This has an improvisational feel much like Phish, only it's darker like Derek Sherinian's Black Utopia. Ed Roth adds intrigue with some strange and unpredictable sound effects. The listener is taken on a trek through sticky mud as algae scrap
the ankles. Swamp gas bubbles with each step taken. While you might wish for a shower to wash the grime away, it's still a joy sloshing through the slimy soil.

Tentacle Dreams: The title track is slow to build up. It starts with light jazz Vegas lounge before abruptly changing its timbre. A third of the way in, the music gets mean
nasty. Think of Izz with a colossal chip on its shoulder.

Vibe: We take our roundtrip flight back to Kansas. Jerry Goodman plays an electric violin monopolizes the mix. The bass and keys are supportive of their partner. Towards the end, Marc's guitar becomes the life of the party.

Swingin': This song continues to showcase Mark's virtuosity. One would think he was Steve Morse, Stevie Ray Vaugh, or Eric Johnson. This is guitar playing at its finest. With the other in the capacity of a pit crew, all attention is on Marc as he motors around the track.

Chromophone: This concoction is laced with chubby chunks of bass. Drums are dished out sparingly in tiny lumps while luminous keyboards are lightly sprinkled over the surface. A syncopated beat is true seventies fare. It's a rainbow of funk and groove.

Dig: The Ballroom Blitz from Wayne's World is ever-present in this piece. On a natural high drums seemingly dance without the need for a drug. The others are presumably popping the pill.
The piano is playful once it swallows its prescription of Prozac. The violin vibrates after downing a
dose of Viagra.

Get Up: This is like waking up from a long and lingering slumber. Well-rested with low aspirations, you shove the sheets aside, stretch your stiff limbs, and slide the curtains apart. With rays of sun thaw the knots from your back. The slate is clean and the skies are the limits. As if there are hot coals under your feet, you're compelled to dash out the door. This Caribbean calypso has you hopping in no time flat.

On Second Thought: After a day of fun in the sun, you relax at a seaside cafe while a cool breeze combs through your hair and tickles your neck. The jazz band returns to play a second soothing number. People are slow dancing under a mellow moon while the tide splashes ever in the distance.

Peace at Sea: In the wee hours of the night, all is calm and peaceful. This is the and simplest piece. It is mainly a guitar gliding over the water. The waves crack with a bit of a more speckle of percussion.

Back from Mars: The transmission is unclear as the dials are tweaked through the stations. Whenever it seems we'll stay with a channel, we suddenly change frequencies. When we get a clear signal, the static is quite stimulating. The guitar licks are experimental,
extemporaneous, and eccentric. They sound like Paul Bremmer's in several places. It's a fitting end
to a diverse collection of music. Marc Klock brings us a gourmet feast. From appetizers to entre, an
entire meal flows effortlessly down the digestive tracks.
©2005, Music Street Journal
http://www.musicstreetjournal.com/ - Music Street Journal

Marc Klock Group - Tentacle Dreams
Artist: Marc Klock Group
Title: Tentacle Dreams
Label: self produced
Length(s): 61 minutes
Year(s) of release: 2003
Month of review: [04/2005]

Line up
Marc Klock - guitars
Phil Chen - bass
Jerry Goodman - electric violin
Jimmy Paxson Jr. - drums, percussion
Ed Roth - keys

Tracks
1) Kaos 3.22
2) Mummy Dearest 5.36
3) Tentacle Dreams 7.41
4) Vibe 6.51
5) Swingin' 5.17
6) Chromophobe 8.09
7) Dig 2.35
8) Get Up 6.12
9) On Second Thought 5.46
10) Peace At Sea 3.27
11) Back From Mars 7.58

Summary
With tracks like Vibe, Dig and Swingin' it is not surprising that the Marc Klock Group operates within the proximity of jazzrock. Surprising is that the well-known Jerry Goodman plays along, on electric violin of course.

The music

Kaos sets the tone for this record: we are in jazzrock territory. The riffs are repetitive, the keyboards sweep through, and the overall feel is one of a strong groove. Goodman mirrors the guitar riff on his electric violin.

Mummy Dearest continues with up-tempo guitar dominated material. It is clearly Marc Klock at the helm here. The melody has a strongly Arabic feel, and the end result is highly energizing. Halfway, the guitar and such drop out, and the keyboards take over for some soloing. Afterwards, the guitar simply joins the fray again.

Tentacle Dreams is a longer track, which opens with the Rhodes vibes that are ubiquitous in jazzrock. Then we arrive at a slowly plodding combination of rhythm guitar and melodic guitar soloing, with a bluesy slant. The violin also chimes in, taking over the role of the lead guitar. We end percussively.

Vibe is even a bit longer, opening with atmospherics. Dreamy keyboards, and shards of guitar lined by some nice acoustic guitar and violin set the easy gait. The melodic material is, somewhat sneakily I might add, quite good here.

Swingin' is back to the groove, a straightforward one, so this is where I tend to lose interest. I have heard all this before. The guitar is ultra-prominent here. At the end the energy level goes up and the interplay with the keyboards makes good. Somewhat.

Chromophobe opens with drum rolls, but soon we are in groovy territory again. This time we have a lazy groove, the vibe provided by the organ. The melody is kinda repetitive and not so interesting either.

Dig on the other hand is up-tempo with a honky-tonk type piano. The riffing is also fast, and the electric violin comes back in. The guitar solo is even faster this time, look at those fingers go.

Get Up continues at the same pace, but a bit more lightfooted and tuneful. Very percussively played, this one has some Southamerican influences.

On Second Thought is back to the thoughful, introspective vibes. Really quite subtle. Then the bass takes the lead for a bouncy intermezzo, and the melodic guitar sets in. The trumpet like keyboards are a bit too much for me. I might start thinking I am some Vegas bar instead of going home by train. The bass playing is the steady reference point.

Peace At Sea has roomy percussion ticking away slowly, while the guitar lines twinkle in the back. No hurry here, and not much happening either (I do not mean here that things should be happening).

Back From Mars is the final tune here, and also one of the longer ones. Klock and Roth pull out the stops here, and show us a bit of chaos on the way back from Mars. Rowdy guitar meandering takes over then. When we arrive around the three minute mark, the music becomes more riff oriented, but the guitar sound stays quite 'noisy'. A hectic conclusion.

Conclusion
Those into jazzrock would do well to consider listening to Marc Klock Group. The man himself is a bit of a guitar hero, who tends to do most of the writing. The end result is something that fans of jazzrock will want to listen to, especially since the presence of Jerry Goodman and some good melodic material lift this one to higher level in places (such as the title track or Vibe). This not to say that there aren't also a few tracks like Swingin' and Chromophobe that did nothing for me at all.
© Jurriaan Hage
- Jurriaan Hage's Axiom of Choice

Marc Klock Group (USA) - 2004 - "Tentacle Dreams"
(60 min, 'MC')
TRACK LIST:
1. Kaos 3:22
2. Mummy Dearest 5:36
3. Tentacle Dreams 7:41
4. Vibe 6:51
5. Swinging 5:17
6. Chromophobe 8:09
7. Dig 2:35
8. Get Up 6:12
9. On Second Thought 5:46
10. Peace at Sea 3:27
11. Back from Mars 7:38
All tracks: by Klock, except 8: Chen/Klock,
9: Roth/Klock & 11: Paxson/Klock.

LINE-UP:
Marc Klock - guitar
Ed Roth - keyboards
Jerry Goodman - electric violin
Jimmy Paxson Jr. - drums
Phil Chen - bass
With:
David Trough - horn

Produced & mixed by Klock.
Engineered by T. O'Brian.

Prolusion. This is my first acquaintance with the US outfit MARC KLOCK GROUP.
Unfortunately, I don't have any information to tell you whether "Tentacle Dreams" is their debut album or not.

Analysis. Before listening to the CD, I wondered whether Jerry Goodman, who is a member of
this group, is that legendary violinist from Chicago who immortalized his name when being a member of The Flock and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. He is! It has become clear to me right
after I heard the first violin passages, as Jerry's style of playing is unforgettable and, therefore, is immediately recognizable. You'd think that with this strong reference the album would be derivative, but that's not the case. There are many arrangements where the principal soloing parts are equally divided between guitar, electric piano and violin, and those may remind you of
Mahavishnu Orchestra, but exclusively on a structural level. Overall, Marc Klock Group's music
is fresh and unique and, in most cases, is both highly progressive and intriguing. Besides, they
have their own vision of some of those most traditional musical styles that they appeal to. Please
take this remark into consideration and recall it when reading my description of some tracks
below. From the eleven instrumental compositions on this 60-minute album the first five are
exceptionally thrilling, just brilliant. "What an inspired and masterful band, what a tight
playing!" I thought after hearing these, and I am really charmed by them. The album's opener
Kaos is a monster of the highest progressive caliber, and not only. This is the heaviest and most
mesmerizing Jazz Rock number I've ever heard and is actually a new direction, Jazz Metal, with
your permission, though violin and keyboards bring a lot of symphonic warmth to these harsh
textures. Here, as well as on the following four tracks, all the band members work miracles,
which I really didn't expect from contemporary Jazz Rockers. (Here I must note that I separate
Jazz Rock from Jazz-Fusion in spite of their likeness.) Mummy Dearest, the title track, and Swinging are worked out in a similar way and are also notable for intensive, dense, truly hardedged
arrangements, full of everything that a Prog soul is usually eager for. But while the overall
sound is still rather heavy, the number of distinct, Cathedral Metal-like guitar riffs is noticeably
lesser. With the events that aren't so much tense and excited as those on its track list neighbors,
Vibe is full of positive vibes, but is not nearly less intricate and interesting. Marc Klock is a
highly masterful guitar player and is a gifted composer with broad horizons, equally at ease
working with Jazz, Blues, Metal, and also Art-Rock, like on this composition, where his
passages on acoustic guitar are definitely of a symphonic nature, unlike solos of electric guitar
and those of Hammond, violin and bass, which concern quasi-Jazz Fusion in this very case.
What is specifically appealing is, that said, a naturally magical flow in sound throughout each of
the first five tracks. Unfortunately, Jerry's participation on the album turned out to be limited,
and on the further tracks his magic violin either appears episodically or is just absent, as is most
often. By the way, at least one of them is too featureless to completely reject the supposition that Goodman just could disagree about having his hand in its performance. But well, I'd better go step by step. In the middle of the album, the band suddenly turns off the road they've just bravely
paved in virgin musical lands and begins flirting with widespread styles. It was erroneous to call
the fifth track Swinging, and its follow-up Chromophobe, and not vice versa, as that's where the
real Swing, in all its glory. All the solos are as if singing and dancing in a ring (in a good sense) -
round the axis built by the drumming with a typically swinging rhythm, which, alas, didn't
change in tempo down to the end. Though I must admit, this is the only significant flaw here.
Then follows the heavy Rock & Roll number Dig, short, yet solidly impressive, too. In other
words, while not masterworks as the first five compositions, these two are very good tracks,
really. Later, however, the band has completely lost their vigor, looking too tired to get up to
somet - ProgressoR