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Review: Simon C.F. Yu - Exotic Species
SimonYu Guitarist Simon C.F. Yu makes a bold statement with his latest release Exotic Species (Chun Fung Simon Yu). A Chinese-born graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Yu would do just fine sticking to standard jazz or fusion music, given his ample chops and harmonic palette. But he goes well beyond those styles on this, his second solo recording. More than another "East-Meets-West" jazz album, Exotic Species is an ambitious mash-up of experimental jazz, electronica, and eastern influences. Using a combination of fretted, fretless, and quartertone guitars (24 frets per octave), Yu easily switches between western-style jazz lines, and phrases that evoke the sounds of his homeland. Several tracks utilize traditional Chinese instruments (such as the Gu-Zheng and the Xun) and vocals as well.
This eclectic "fusion" of sounds, styles, and cultures is Yu's primary focus on Exotic Species, though some tracks are definitely crafted from a western jazz perspective. "Pentatonicism" is the closest Yu gets to traditional jazz fusion fare. Yu's eastern roots are still apparent on this track, but with the odd meter distorted riffs and snappy wah-wah lines, this tune has the strongest "jazz rock" vibe on the album. With "Purify," Yu takes a different approach by incorporating a Guan (a traditional Chinese woodwind instrument) in a straight-ahead jazz setting. This is a great track with a fantastic melody, and some nice lines by Yu. "Spin" is another straight-ahead tune, and showcases some standout bass work by Evan Marien. "The Moon in the River" is a beautiful duet with pianist Dodo Toru, in which Yu displays some very impressive acoustic work. Yu trades fretless licks with David "Fuze" Fiuczynski on a couple of tracks as well, including the adventurous "MCP" (aka "Madness Chinese Politics") where Fiuczynski's insane legato runs are countered by Yu's more subtle eastern-influenced phrases.
It's on tracks such as "The Emperor's Backyard" and "Ending Theme" where Yu shows the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to composition and recording that really defines this album. Yu throws everything into the hopper on these pieces - hip-hop beats, metal riffs, Chinese instruments, electronica, crazy loops and edits, etc, to create what are "soundscapes" as much as they are "songs." And if those tracks don't provide enough of a curveball for you, Yu also includes "?????????" and "??????" - two Chinese language vocal ballads.
Yu is definitely an experimental musician, but don't let the more eccentric tracks on Exotic Species scare you away if you're a fan of standard jazz fusion. There's a lot to listen to on this album, and the vision and execution Yu displays with this release should be highly praised. - The Guitar Channel
Discography
Simon C.F. Yu;
1st album “Beginning…” -released on March 2008
Featuring the C.P.U. -Contemporary Players Union
Composer/Guitar: Simon C.F. Yu
Alto Sax: Alex Gordeev, Nikolay Moiseenko
Piano/Keys: Mika Nishimura, Takeshi Ohbayashi
Effects: Ayako Higuchi
Bass: Evan Marien
Drums: Jeffrey Villanueva
www.abstractlogix.com/mymusic/simoncfyu
www.cdbaby.com/simoncfyu
2nd album “Exotic Species” –release on March 2009
Contemporary Jazz Experimental + Traditional Eastern Music + Sequenced Electronics
Featuring:
David “Fuze” Fiuczynski (Hiromi’s Sonicbloom, Me’Shell Ndghcello)
On Fretless Guitar and Quartertone Guitar
Dodo Toru 百々徹 (Kenny Garret, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller)
On Piano
Top class Traditional Instrumentalists from China:
Guo Yazhi (China’s First Class Traditional Chinese Woodwind Instrumentalist, member of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra)
On Souna, Guan and Xun(correction for CD booklet labeled as "Yu")
Choi Ngar Si (Renowned Gu Zheng player, she is listed in the “Who's Who of China's Contemporary Music Circles”
On Guzheng
Jason Lau (Award winning Gu Zheng Pioneer in Hong Kong)
On Guzheng
Theresa Wong (Erhu Virtuoso in Beijing)
On Erhu
Review from The Guitar Channel;
Guitarist Simon C.F. Yu makes a bold statement with his latest release Exotic Species (Chun Fung Simon Yu). A Chinese-born graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Yu would do just fine sticking to standard jazz or fusion music, given his ample chops and harmonic palette. But he goes well beyond those styles on this, his second solo recording. More than another "East-Meets-West" jazz album, Exotic Species is an ambitious mash-up of experimental jazz, electronica, and eastern influences. Using a combination of fretted, fretless, and quartertone guitars (24 frets per octave), Yu easily switches between western-style jazz lines, and phrases that evoke the sounds of his homeland. Several tracks utilize traditional Chinese instruments (such as the Gu-Zheng and the Xun) and vocals as well.
http://www.guitar-channel.com/rich_murray/2009/05/review-simon-cf-yu-exotic-species.html
Evan Marien;
3rd album
“The Way” -
All original compositions by electric bassist Evan Marien with appearances by Joseph Wooten, Rob Hecht, Jeffrey Villanueva, Simon Yu, Mika Nishimura, Alex Gordeev, Manami Morita, Randy Runyon, and Bob Edinger.
http://cdbaby.com/cd/evanmarien4
Evan Marien latest album
"Between Worlds" -Art of Life Records
Evan Marien:
electric bass, keyboards & programming on track 6
Jovol Bell:
drums on tracks 2 & 7
Andy Berman:
guitar on tracks 1, 4, 5 & 8
David Fiuczynski:
fretted and fretless guitars on tracks 2 & 7
Thomas Hartman:
drums on track 10
Evgeny Lebedev:
keyboards on tracks 2, 5, 7 & 8
Randy Runyon:
guitar on track 10
Jeffrey Villanueva:
drums on tracks 1, 4, 5 & 8
Jeremy Vovcsko:
alto saxophone on tracks 1, 4, 5 & 8
Romain Collins;
"The Rise and Fall of Pipokuhn" -Fresh Sound New Talent
Romain Collin: piano;
Joe Sanders: bass;
Zach Harmon: drums, tabla, percussion;
Gilad Ronen: flute (1).
Romain Collin ushers in the promise of 2009 with an astonishingly mature and ambitious debut that secures him a placeholder in the continuing evolution of the grand tradition of the piano trio. While staking claim to the lineage of Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Brad Mehldau, Collin's work favorably contrasts to the modern-day Swedish school exemplified by the au-courant subset of Bobo Stenson, Esbjorn Svennson, and Tord Gustavsen.
While European sensibilities and restraint dominate his concept and legitimate classical performance skills (he won the Valmalete competition at 13) and dynamics inform his crystalline touch, Collin's sense of time and swing indicate that he has prioritized an indefatigable approach to absorbing the American jazz tradition. Now 29, Collin's obviously apportioned the reverence required; restated: there's no fronting, because there has been no shortcutting.
The same might be said of his trio-mates, bassist Joe Sanders and drummer/tablaist Zach Harmon, both 24. All three were recently minted from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, as true a master's apprenticeship as any collegiate program; this fellowship, after all, requires getting past Herbie Hankcock and Wayne Shorter....etc
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=32060
Alex Terrier;
"Roundtrip"-BCR
pianist Roy Assaf,
bassist Francois Moutin
drummer Steve Davis
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/alexterrier#
"Alex is a very gifted and expressive saxophonist. He's shown in performance a very strong developing conception as a composer and a soloist" – Joe Lovano
“He has a very creative imagination and is both an excellent player and accomplished composer/arranger. A superior talent that I would have to place in the top 5% of all the great writer/players I've seen go through Berklee thes
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