Description
The Bucket List is a instrumental album by the American songwriter/guitarist Phil Keaggy together with bassist Tony Levin (bass/stick) and drummer Jerry Marotta (drums/percussion), independently released in January 2019. The album was recorded at Jersville Studio and Dreamland Recording Studio in Woodstock, New York; and at Kegworth Studio in Nashville, Tennessee; with Keaggy, Levin, and Marotta producing. Mixed by Michael Cozzi.
The Bucket List is the collective effort of guitar extraordinaire Phil Keaggy, legendary bassist Tony Levin and rhythm master Jerry Marotta featuring 12 original instrumentals that showcase the strengths of these three musicians.
Tony Levin in particular has a gold-plated CV, being Peter Gabriel’s regular tour bassist and a core part of King Crimson, but also playing with so many top musicians that it is hard to know where to start. Christian artists include Maria McKee, Jennifer Knapp, dc Talk and Michael W. Smith; he has the jazz chops to work with Buddy Rich; and household names for whom he has recorded include Bowie, Bacharach and several members of Yes, Roxy Music and Simon and Garfunkel. So that’s the iceberg tipped.
Marotta has also played with a solo Beatle, Indigo Girls and with Levin in Gabriel’s band.
Opener «Sometimes 11» sets the tone well. It is unmistakeably Keaggy, played in 11/12 time and using the rhythm section’s expertise. These are musos enjoying the job.
On «Sometimes We Up», Levin plays a pretty straight rock bass line, liberating Keaggy to fly wherever he feels on top; but with a creative bassist like him, you might feel cheated if he were to play that way all album and on other tracks, he seems in his own world, as if he is playing against Keaggy’s rhythm, while Keaggy is playing on top of Levin’s bass, the two ‘happening’ to coincide. It feels like a different model to playing off each other in duet form.
The album’s genesis as three days of jamming comes through. Although they have revisited the project on-and-off over a decade to tighten things up, some pieces still feel improvised, with ragged edges and changes in direction. I even caught enough of a Jeff Beck line from Wired in «Phil’s On» that it must either be deliberate or subliminal.
The somewhat short «Good Stuff», though, is one example of the trio being very tight, with their rock tinted by funk.
«Carved in Stone» is the rockiest piece here, with Marotta pounding the cowbell and Keaggy’s riffs dug up from his ‘60s memories, echoing bands like Cream.
Although it is also built on some jazzy chords, «Steely Funk» is as the title suggests, and in the middle, Keaggy breaks out into a full-on solo.
«Caravan» is another highlight, with a languid mood that could be played over images of silhouetted camels walking across sand dunes, Keaggy bringing out a slightly oriental vibe.
«Fearless» and «Midland Crisis» are slower, simpler jams, the former giving more space to Levin, while the short «Blue Hawaii» gets its name from the slide guitar that Keaggy solos over.
Overall, this is very much like a compilation of Keaggy instrumentals from across his career, because he has often employed the sort of percussive feels that Jerry Marotta produces here. The end result is also executive producer Paul Grimsland finally getting to tick off a box of his bucket list. [Derek Walker, The Phantom Tollbooth, 12 March 2019]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-bucket-list/1615688857)
CD tracklist:
01. Sometimes 11 – 3:24
02. Fearless – 4:06
03. Midland Crisis – 3:52
04. Sometimes We Up – 7:15
05. Stella Luna – 4:01
06. Steely Funk – 4:47
07. Where’s Phil – 1:39
08. Phil’s On – 3:20
09. Caravan – 5:28
10. Carved in Stone – 5:00
11. Good Stuff – 2:28
12. Blue Hawaii – 1:57
Note: CD comes in a 4 panel eco-wallet case with artwork by Christine Baldelli/Lillypod Media. Available at Bandcamp: https://keaggylevinmarotta.bandcamp.com/album/the-bucket-list
The Bucket List is the collective effort of guitar extraordinaire Phil Keaggy, legendary bassist Tony Levin and rhythm master Jerry Marotta featuring 12 original instrumentals that showcase the strengths of these three musicians.
Having recorded over 60 albums since the late 1960’s, Phil Keaggy is one of the most admired guitarists in the Contemporary Christian music world. Phil’s talents have earned him two Grammy nominations as well as being a seven time recipient of the GMA Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year.
How many musicians can claim they recorded/toured with King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Yes, and let’s not forget John Lennon? Bassist and Stick player Tony Levin can and that’s barely scratching the surface of his musical biography. When Tony’s not bouncing between King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, he’s usually found on the road with The Stick Men.
For over a decade, Tony along with drummer Jerry Marotta were the rhythm section for the classic Peter Gabriel years. Jerry’s unique percussion style has graced the music of Paul McCartney, Hall & Oats, Elvis Costello, The Indigo Girls and so many others. These days, Jerry never takes a break working with The Security Project, The Marotta Brothers Band, The Fragile Fate and Flav Martin.
The genesis of this super trio can be traced back over ten years ago when Phil, Tony and Jerry first met in Woodstock for an impromptu jam session that lead to a live show and a whole lot of improvisation left in the can. Over the years the material was revisited and reworked then left to age in the barrel a little longer.
Fast forward to 2018, the recordings are given a fresh breath of air plus added tracks to formulate a collection of actual songs. The end result is executive producer Paul Grimsland finally getting to tick off a box of his Bucket List. Like a fine wine, The Bucket List has been aged to perfection and is ready for consumption from an audience thirsting for this musical delight.
Released January 11, 2019
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