Gary Lucas   reviews  


Jazzbreak.com, March 25, 2002 (France)

Gary Lucas, étranger au Paradis, ou 'the Edge of Heaven'

Pour clore la série des concerts autour de la guitare, le Cri du Port accueillait en ce lundi 25 mars devant un public hélas beaucoup trop clairsemé, le guitariste Gary Lucas dans la salle de l'auditorium de la Cité de la Musique à Marseille.

Lucas est ce personnage étrange qui a accompagné Don van Vliet, l'iconoclaste et délirant Captain Beefheart, de 79 à 84 dans son Magic Band - il m'avoue s'être déplacé à Boston pour rencontrer le maître après avoir eu la révélation dans l'album Bongo Fury où Frank Zappa avait invité le Captain à quelques délires vocaux et instrumentaux - et qui a aussi co-écrit deux des plus belles chansons du regretté Jeff Buckley, "Grace" et "Mojo Pin".

Il est bien une figure de la musique alternative, loin du guitar hero, alors qu'il en a la virtuosité, puisant son inspiration, avec un égal bonheur, aux diverses sources de la musique populaire américaine, du blues à la country, sans oublier le rock, exploitant avec talent les possibilités de la national steel guitar. Sur scène, il est d'ailleurs entouré de trois de ses guitares, une électrique et deux steel dont une métallique des années vingt qu'il exhibe avec beaucoup de fierté ; il demande même au public de choisir la guitare sur laquelle il jouera son rappel. Il trafique aussi le son, bidouille avec tout un attirail de pédales et de consoles : tout le concert est très soigneusement électrifié, l'effet est saisissant, le son dur, saturé, les cordes tendues prêtes à rompre.

Il a intégré beaucoup d'idées dans ce court récital en solo, patchwork musical qu'il présente d'une voix traînante, un rien désabusée. Il s'accompagne en chantant et module l'enchaînement des titres : d'une reprise électrique du traditionnel "Amazing grace", il passe à des blues plus ou moins gras (en citant Robert Johnson), puis entrecoupe de l'étrange "Level the playing field" de Street of Lost Brothers enregistré chez Tzadig, le label de John Zorn. Mais il veut surtout rendre hommage à la pop chinoise douce et sucrée, qu'il considère proche du blues (similar scales). Il choisit "Please Allow Me to look at you Again", "The Mad World", "Night in Shanghai", trois titres de son dernier album, The Edge of heaven, sorti en France chez Label Bleu, qu'il revisite entre folk et blues. S'y mêlent les souvenirs de voyages à Formose, dans les années de sa jeunesse, et aussi des versions aménagées du répertoire années trente des deux stars locales, Chow Hsuan et Bai Kuong. Mais on n'est pas pour autant plongé dans l'exotisme kitsch de certaines de ces bluettes que le succès du récent 'In the mood for love' a remis au goût du jour. Ses reprises ne paraissent donc pas aussi insolites et on aurait sans doute apprécié que Gary Lucas établisse plus de liens entre la country à laquelle il se réfère véritablement jusque dans sa dégaine (feutre noir large, cuir et velours) et cette musique chinoise.

Mais le concert est déjà fini, et en rangeant son matériel, Gary Lucas doit songer aux prochaines dates de sa tournée en Europe, toujours en solitaire, trimballant ses souvenirs et sa nostalgie avec lui. A son écoute, désorienté, plongé dans des préoccupations d'un autre temps, on se prend à rêver d'une Chine mythique et d'un Sud éternel et bluesy. A près de cinquante ans, Gary Lucas a beaucoup bourlingué mais le héros, même fatigué, continue tranquillement sa route.

© Copyright JazzBreak.com Tous droits réservés



Folk Roots (fRoots), Spring 2002 (UK)

GARY LUCAS "THE EDGE OF HEAVEN" Label Bleu LBLC 2582
by Ian Kearey

In which a guitar virtuoso explores "mid-century Chinese pop" and in doing so, creates something new under the sun. Inspired by hearing records by the legendary Shanghai women vocalists Bai Kwong and Chow Hsuan, while living in Taiwan in the mid-1970's, Lucas has slowly been working up to a whole album's worth of their material and, with the help of vocalists Celest Chong and Gisburg, has realised the project—brilliantly.

It's worth mentioning here that Lucas claims not to be anything of an expert on Chinese music of any century, but was simply fired by the songs themselves. By sticking to this attitude, the most bizarre and compelling juxtapositions can be made: the manic Chinese ragtime of "If I'm Without You", the cool slide that swoops around "The Wall" (one of four tracks featuring the estimable, understated bass and drums of Gods and Monsters), and the intense malevolence of the solo electric "Where Is My Home" are the immediate standouts. In place of the traditional instrumentation of the original recording, Lucas's National steel playing captures the flavour of the melody of Chow's "Songstress on the Edge of Heaven" while retaining its distinctive American feel, and the modern vocalists pay tribute to Chow's zany Betty Boop soprano and Bai's deeper contralto without ever lapsing into parody.

Without question the most interesting and challenging guitarist playing today, Gary Lucas has been threatening to make a record this unified and with such immediate appeal (try not humming the tunes after one listen) for a while. His humour and jaw-dropping techniques here blend with a devotee's enthusiasm for the music, resulting in, to my mind, one of the three best guitar albums ever made (guess the other two). It's THAT good.



Variety, February 14th, 2002

Beefheart tribute appropriately chaotic


NEW YORK (Variety) - For the 1-1/2 decades that he spent as a recording artist, Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart) was avant-rock's most iconoclastic figure. He fused surrealism with situationist thought, infuriating many and entrancing a cult following that would continue to pine for new work long after he left the musical world—and a burgeoning career as a fine artist, due to physical infirmity. Guitarist Gary Lucas, who played in the last edition of Beefheart's Magic Band, and former Microscopic Septet leader Philip Johnston spent several months putting together the Beefheart Project (and the Fast and Bulbous band that headlined this gig).

Sensibly deciding to take an all-instrumental tack —Beefheart's multioctave growl being all but impossible to replicate—the septet reconfigured the material for a brass-centric universe and set sail. At first, it seemed as if the ensemble would fall far short of the mark it had set for itself. The septet limped through a version of "Fast and Bulbous" that was distinctly slow and smooth, devoid of rough edges—as was a rendition of "Pachuco Cadaver" that owed as much to Blood, Sweat and Tears as to the Magic Band. But then, as if by magic, the musicians began to grow fractious and obstreperous, with the horn players tugging in opposite directions from the core of "Abba Zaba," chattering and arguing like squirrels engaged in a turf battle. That sound, at once grating and charmingly nature-rooted, would've made Beefheart proud. The same could be said for the band's deconstruction of "When Big Joan Sets Up" (a piece that's loopy even by Beefheart standards): Braying, gigglin! g and cajoling brass elements—and wiry contributions from a slyly grinning Lucas—converged, creating a veritable carnival midway onstage.

Then again, the principals didn't exactly make it easy on themselves, choosing to precede their performance with 90 or so minutes of rare film footage of the Captain himself. The video program went back as far as a lip-sync segment on "Where the Action Is" (on which Beefheart was surrounded by frugging beach bunnies), but focused on wildly intense live footage that cast Van Vliet as one part shaman and one part slapstick comedian. Mike Barnes, whose simply titled bio "Captain Beefheart" has just been released by Cooper Square Books, read passages from the tome between Lucas' solo essays on Beefheart compositions.

Presented inhouse. Band: Gary Lucas, Philip Johnston, Joe Fiedler, Rob Henke, Dave Sewelson, Jesse Krakow, Richard Dworkin. Reviewed Feb. 9, 2002. Reuters/Variety



Mojo (UK), February, 2002

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN


"IT IS SIMPLY GORGEOUS... from Beefheart and Buckley to Chow Hsuan and Bai Kwong... played by a guitarist who learned his chops in Kowloon's dive bars before unleashing his skills with Beefheart. Lucas grew up as a guitarist in Asia, so this is no dilletante's stop-gap...the National steel makes a good fist at replicating the sounds of indigenous zithers on the originals. Give either The Wall or I Wait For Your Return a good listen and you'll be hurrying down your local Chinatown looking for the originals."



Rock And Folk (France), February, 2002

GARY LUCAS "THE EDGE OF HEAVEN" (Indigo/Harmonia Mundi)—4 STARS
by Gil Boiteux

Autour d'un tres beau "Evangeline" il y a quelques annees, connu dans nos contrees en tant que coautour des magique "Mojo Pin" et "Grace" avec Jeff Buckley, cet ancien guitariste du Magic Band de Captain Beefheart propose ces jours-ci un projet barre sans etre elitiste, suicidaire s'il etait signe de n'importe qui d'autre, mais parfaitement abouli entre ses mains. Fouilant dans le repertoire populaire chinois des annees 30-40, Lucas en extrait une dizoine de standards qu'il reinvente avec audace, se jouant du temps entra perfection folk et audaces bluesy. Rien de moins. Ainsi, nul ne resistera jamais a la purete de "Please Allow Me to Look at You Again" ou au romantisma sensuel et exquis d'un "I Wait For Your Return", pieces raffinees intensement chantees par des deeses aux voix autremont plus oeriennes que celle de Bjork sur son recent effort, par exemple. Pour ceux que le timbre confuceen rebute, sept instrumentaux majesteux devoilent l'assurance et la beaute du jeu du guitariste qui, suivant l'adage selon lequel "plus c'est simple plus c'est riche", se fait ici la chantra d'une sobriete meticuleuse, filandreuse, emplissant l'espace sonore d'arpeges elegants et d'entrelacs soigneusement electrifies (le joyou "Old Dreams" ou encore "If I'm Without You", modele de fluidite). Pas un titre qui ne soit que bon, tout ici releve de l'excellence. Eloigne des preoccupations de l'Amerique contemporaine, qu'elle soit "clintonridienne" ou de tradition "bushere", ce guitar (anti) hero majeur signe, a la croisee des chemins de la pop chinoise et du country sudiste, un chef-d'oeuvre instantement destine a l'intemporalite.



Improjazz (Belgium), January, 2002

FAST 'N BULBOUS
by Claude Colpaert

"Gary Lucas played at De Werf in Brugge, Belgium on 22 October, with the group Fast n Bulbous (Phillip Johnston, as, co-leader, Dave Sewelson, bs, Rob Henke, tp, Joe Fiedler, tb, Jesse Krakow, b, Richard Dworkin, dm) the repertoire of his ex-employer Don van Vliet, alias Captain Beefheart, especially the disjointed cuts from Troutmaskreplica. The atmosphere was humorous and the arrangements chaotic to good effect...notably in tunes like "Click Clack" played as a trio, Gary Lucas played marvelously, inventing a new style of slide guitar."



MusicDish.com e-journal, January, 2002

Gary Lucas - "Improve The Shining Hour-Rare Lumière 1980-2000"
by MuzikMan

(Click here to see the review on the MusicDish.com website with photos)

"Gary Lucas helped his name and reputation grow into celebrated status in the "Captain Beefheart Band." After playing a variety of venues and with several different acts he became Beefheart's (Don Van Vliet) most prized lead guitarist. This man was an accomplished guitar player long before he ever set foot onstage with the whimsical and off the wall Beefheart though.

"Improve The Shining Hour" is a terrific collection of various tracks that Lucas has cut over the years with an eclectic range of artists. His chops are as varied and startling as the people he collaborates with. 'Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles' is the one song Beefheart guests on. It's a good thing that Lucas can play that guitar, Beefheart's vocals are strained and coarse, nevertheless there is some magic happening between them and the song stands up well.' 'And The Ass Saw The Angel' is a lascivious and crude dissertation by Mr. Nick Cave. Cave sounds like he gobbled a handful of speed before he went on stage for that little ditty. I am sure you will be delighted when you hear it though. The former New York Dolls lead singer David Johansen (Buster Poindexter) steps in to take the lead vocal on 'Spider Web', a gnarly and bluesy track that keeps you trapped in its musical web. 'Dulce' is a flavorful spicy Latin tinged number thanks to the vocal style of Ms. Elli Medeiros. Lucas makes a home for the sexy singer to walk right into and hang her hat.

If you stop and think for a moment all the ground that Lucas covers in each song it's quite astonishing. The songs with the vocals are exceptional; the instrumentals are another matter entirely. When players like this pick up their six-string and make it talk and generate incredible sounds, the whole world stops and your attention becomes focused on every note. Lucas gives life and breathing room to every note he plays. 'Indian War Whoop' is a dazzling display of guitar virtuoso; he really smokes it on that instro gem. The closer 'Listen, You Who Dare/Improve The Shining Hour' is an eerie and hypnotic composition that launches you to never-never land. Be careful as you listen though, because you may not return. Some of this material is esoteric and beyond what anyone could possibly understand, yet it pulls you in and holds on tight regardless. This guy is in the upper stratosphere of guitar players. The great ones come few and far between. Gary Lucas has his own cloud to ride on. Just listen, you who dare..."



The Village Voice, Voice Choices, January 22, 2002

Tonight (Jan. 19, 2002)
by Jim Macnie

"AMID THE COMPULSIVE PSYCHEDELIA OF HIS SOLO WORK THERE LURKS A ROMANTIC. YOU'LL HEAR IT WHEN HE GIVES OVER A GOOD CHUNK OF THIS RECITAL TO TUNES FROM 'THE EDGE OF HEAVEN', A NEW FRENCH DISC THAT SOME DOMESTIC LABEL SHOULD SNAP UP (C'MON, NONESUCH!). DELIVERING PURE LYRICISM AND BLITHE SCHOLARSHIP, LUCAS'S NATIONAL STEEL PLACES THESE VINTAGE CHINESE TUNES AN INCH OR TWO AWAY FROM TAJ'S DELTA DREAMS. NO WONDER IT'S EARNED A STRING OF HURRAHS FROM 'LIBERATION' AND OTHER FRENCH MAGS." SATURDAY JANUARY 19, KNITTING FACTORY OLD OFFICE, AT 9.



Time Out New York, January, 2002

Tonight (Jan. 19, 2002)


"DOWNTOWN GUITAR GOD GARY LUCAS HAS PROVED A SUPERLATIVE FOIL FOR EVERYONE FROM CAPTAIN BEEFHEART TO PETER STAMPFEL, AND THAT DOESN'T EVEN GET AT HALF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS. Lately, however, he's been dividing his time between the avant-blues and the lyrical Chinese pop of the '40s. In a solo recital, it'll all end up on the same page."



Mojo (UK), January, 2002

The Edge Of Heaven
by David Hutcheon

From Beefheart and Jeff Buckley to Chow Hsuan and Bai Kwong.

Chinese pop music from the middle of the last century: songs made famous by the singers Chow Hsuan and Bai Kwong, played by a guitarist who learned his chops in Kowloon's dive bars before unleashing his skills with Beefheart. Lucas grew up as a guitarist in Asia so this is no dilettante's stop-gap, and in places it is simply gorgeous. Admittedly, a lot of this is down to vocalists Celeste Chong and (especially) Gisburg (no surname, but sensuality in spades), but the National steel guitar makes a good fist of replicating the sounds of the indigenous zithers on the originals. But give either The Wall or I Wait For Your return a good listening and you'll be hurrying down your local Chinatown looking for the originals (first available on Pathe' and reissued by EMI).



MuzikMan, January 15, 2002

Improve The Shining Hour-Rare Lumière 1980-2000
Keith Hannaleck

Gary Lucas helped his name and reputation grow into celebrated status in the "Captain Beefheart Band." After playing a variety of venues and with several different acts he became Beefheart's (Don Van Vliet) most prized lead guitarist. This man was an accomplished guitar player long before he ever set foot onstage with the whimsical and off the wall Beefheart though.

"Improve The Shining Hour" is a terrific collection of various tracks that Lucas has cut over the years with an eclectic range of artists. His chops are as varied and startling as the people he collaborates with. 'Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles' is the one song Beefheart guests on. It's a good thing that Lucas can play that guitar, Beefheart's vocals are strained and coarse, nevertheless there is some magic happening between them and the song stands up well.' 'And The Ass Saw The Angel' is a lascivious and crude dissertation by Mr. Nick Cave. Cave sounds like he gobbled a handful of speed before he went on stage for that little ditty. I am sure you will be delighted when you hear it though. The former New York Dolls lead singer David Johansen (Buster Poindexter) steps in to take the lead vocal on 'Spider Web', a gnarly and bluesy track that keeps you trapped in its musical web. 'Dulce' is a flavorful spicy Latin tinged number thanks to the vocal style of Ms. Elli Medeiros. Lucas makes a home for the sexy singer to walk right into and hang her hat.

If you stop and think for a moment all the ground that Lucas covers in each song it's quite astonishing. The songs with the vocals are exceptional; the instrumentals are another matter entirely. When players like this pick up their six-string and make it talk and generate incredible sounds, the whole world stops and your attention becomes focused on every note. Lucas gives life and breathing room to every note he plays. 'Indian War Whoop' is a dazzling display of guitar virtuoso; he really smokes it on that instro gem. The closer 'Listen, You Who Dare/Improve The Shining Hour' is an eerie and hypnotic composition that launches you to never-never land. Be careful as you listen though, because you may not return. Some of this material is esoteric and beyond what anyone could possibly understand, yet it pulls you in and holds on tight regardless. This guy is in the upper stratosphere of guitar players. The great ones come few and far between. Gary Lucas has his own cloud to ride on. Just listen, you who dare...

1. Coming Clean (Lucas) - 3:36

2. And the Ass Saw the Angel (Cave/Lucas) - 3:58

3. Spider Web (Chertoff/Lucas/Merendino/Osborne/Palmaro) - 4:26

4. Dulce (Lucas/Medeiros) - 5:07

5. Flavor Bud Living (VanVliet) - 1:36 - Instrumental

6. Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles (Captain Beefheart) - 3:10

7. In a Forest (Lucas) - 3:39

8. Judgement (Nelson) - 1:39

9. Judgement at Midnight Theme (Lucas/Saba/Winter) - 2:46

10. Oat Hate (Van Vliet) - 2:30 - Instrumental

11. Follow (Lucas) - 3:33

12. Astro Boy (Traditional) - 2:19

13. Indian War Whoop (Lucas) - 2:47 - Instrumental

14. She Was Showing Me (Haines/Lucas) - 2:28

15. Ted's Theme (Lucas/Saba/Winter) - 1:54

16. Golgotha (Lucas/Miller) - 5:26

17. Breath of Bones (Lucas) - 6:13

18. Listen, You Who Dare/Improve the Shining... (Fricke/Lucas) - 13:00- Instrumental