Short Reviews [Bill Hart Band - 2017 - "Live At Red Clay Theatre"]

This album came to me in a rather strange way, in that keyboard player Pat Strawser contacted me saying he had been given my name and asked if I would review his latest album. He mentioned he used to be in a band called Volare, which sparked my brain, and I realised I had reviewed them back in the Nineties. I mentioned this to the promoter who had put Pat onto me, who then asked I had ever heard this live album which came out in 2017. The connection is that Pat was a member of Bill’s band, while the rest of the line-up was completed by Alex McGinnis (sax), Dwayne Wallace (bass), Steven Walker (drums) and Emrah Kotan (percussion). Bill is well known within the jazz fusion world not only for his playing but his teaching and writing, and his approach is to bring together multiple styles such as Rock, Funk, Blues, African and Latin and then combining that with jazz harmonies to create something which is more than just the sum of its ingredients. I was surprised at how much I kept being reminded of Colosseum II during this album, which is much more connected with the manner of playing as opposed to the songs themselves. Percussion is an immensely important part of the overall sound, and this in itself removes it from the jazz scene, while Bill is happy noodling along on an acoustic at some points and being far more dynamic and striking with blues-driven funk at others. While there is room for everyone to breathe and show off their skills, there are also some incredibly tight passages, with “Deep Skies” having everything. What I also like is that Bill may be the band leader, but this always feels like a proper band, with every soloist being given full opportunity and never really like a leader plus others. Pat also allowed himself to utilise some sounds not normally within this style, showing you can take progger out of the genre, but he is still influenced by it. This is an album full of space and joy, and the 9 tracks spread over 70+ minutes allow the listener to really get inside what is going on and they certainly leave with a smile on their face. I have not heard any of Bill’s other albums, but this is a delight.