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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Lynne Arriale Trio The Lights Are Always On Review by Gary Hill At Music Street Journal we land fusion under progressive rock. My reasoning is that the very exploratory nature of the music fits and the two styles share a lot of fans. Besides that, often fusion has a rock angle and the balance between jazzy prog and more rocking fusion is a pretty fine line. This set is perhaps more traditional jazz, and I probably should have landed it under non-prog for that reason. The thing is, I think there is a real "art music" vibe to a lot of this, tipping the balance in the prog heading direction. Whether you agree or not, this is a very satisfying and entertaining release that works very well. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2022 Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2022.

Track by Track Review

March On Piano starts this, and the cut shifts to a dramatic and powerful jazz arrangement. This is quite a potent musical journey.

The Lights Are Always On The piano takes us into some really soaring zones as this number gets going. It's a real powerhouse with a lot of classical music and some definite fusion angles at play. This is art music for certain. It's also so inspiring and powerful.

Sisters The piano on this number is even more adventurous and creative. The cut is a powerhouse tune that works well at combining both fusion elements and more traditional jazz ones.

Honor While overall not a big change, this lands more on the balladic side. The bass seems more prominent on this piece, and it gets a cool solo section. This piece is dedicated to Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman.

Loved Ones I really dig the tasty and creative musical explorations on this piece of music. It's another potent cut that seems to merge traditional jazz and more fusion-oriented sounds. The bass again shines on this number.

Sounds Like America There is a travelling sort of groove to this piece. it's a classy track. Then again, everything here is classy.

The Notorious RBG ]The piece is dedicated to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The piano explores some amazing musical territory along this road. The whole tune grooves with a great traditional jazz meets fusion vibe. The bass gets to show off on this number, too.

Into The Breach There is some great energy and dramatic instrumental work built into this tune. The bass gets some of its most prominent soloing on this piece. The drumming is particularly impressive, too.

Walk In My Shoes I really love the melodies on the piece. They impart both a sense of beauty and some real adventure. The piece is dedicated to John Lewis.

Heroes While this is mellower and more traditional jazz based, it's no less effective. It creates a nice grounding effect for the closing of the disc.

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