Welcome to a special edition of the jazz album reviews series and today i am going to be taking a look at the amazing and impressive catalogue from one of the finest guitar players on the scene today, one of the best to come out of Austria and a musician who i have been wanting to talk about this series for quite some time, the one and only, Austrian guitarist, composer and bandleader, Alex Machacek.
I first became aware of Alex Machacek back in 2009 when prog rock icon Eddie Jobson debuted a new band called UKZ which was comprised of Marco Minnemann, Aaron Lippert, Trey Gunn from King Crimson and Alex Machacek. They debuted their EP called 'Radiation' and the first thing i ever heard was the title track, i was completely blown away by the guitar playing of Alex Machacek, it sounded like a cross between Allan Holdsworth and Robert Fripp from King Crimson but much more heavier and crunchy which leaned towards legato and shredding. One of the few guys who can combine the best of both worlds but still sounding very fresh and original.
It was unbelievable and i would put his guitar solo up there with Allan Holdsworth's iconic solo from 'In The Dead Of Night' with UK, it was so good but i got to know Machacek's playing better when i heard him with the Out Trio which featured former Zappa sidemen Terry Bozzio & Patrick O' Hearn, his playing was much more looser, jazzier and experimental that leaned more towards improv but it said to me that Machacek could play in any setting. I instantly became a fan straightaway and i have seen him twice with U.K where both times his playing was very impressive and for me, he was the highlight of those shows.
Since bursting on to the scene in the 1990s, Alex Machacek has played and collaborated with a number of different bands and artists from all genres. From U.K. to UKZ to the UZ-Project to Eddie Jobson to John Wetton to Marco Minnemann to Virgil Donati to Planet X to Derek Sherininan to Gary Husband to the Out Trio to B.P.M. to Terry Bozzio to CAB to Brand X. He has played with them all and currently leads his own band called FAT (Fabulous Austrian Trio)
When you hear Machacek, you know straight it's him as he has a distinct sound on the guitar that leans towards the legato style of playing and he really channels the spirit of the legendary Allan Holdsworth but is very much his own man with his own unique voice, style and musical style. His music is influenced by Allan Holdsworth and Frank Zappa, he also incorporates different styles ranging from jazz to progressive rock to progressive metal to fusion to avant garde.
Alex Machacek is not a well known figure and remains an unknown commodity outside of the guitar world but the ones who do know him, he is considered by many to be one of the best guitar players in the world and has quietly carved out a well deserved and much earned reputation as one of the most versatile musicians on the scene.
For today's special edition, i am going to be taking a look at Alex Machacek's catalogue which is a total of 8 albums, 7 studio albums and 1 live recording. As always, i will be talking about each album individually and choosing which one i think is the best, not an easy challenge as all of these albums are excellent, some are a little bit better than others, a couple are a bit strange but you will see how much Alex Machacek has evolved not only in his guitar playing but as a composer and as a bandleader.
Alex Machacek in my opinion is one of the most important voices for the guitar today.
I first became aware of Alex Machacek back in 2009 when prog rock icon Eddie Jobson debuted a new band called UKZ which was comprised of Marco Minnemann, Aaron Lippert, Trey Gunn from King Crimson and Alex Machacek. They debuted their EP called 'Radiation' and the first thing i ever heard was the title track, i was completely blown away by the guitar playing of Alex Machacek, it sounded like a cross between Allan Holdsworth and Robert Fripp from King Crimson but much more heavier and crunchy which leaned towards legato and shredding. One of the few guys who can combine the best of both worlds but still sounding very fresh and original.
It was unbelievable and i would put his guitar solo up there with Allan Holdsworth's iconic solo from 'In The Dead Of Night' with UK, it was so good but i got to know Machacek's playing better when i heard him with the Out Trio which featured former Zappa sidemen Terry Bozzio & Patrick O' Hearn, his playing was much more looser, jazzier and experimental that leaned more towards improv but it said to me that Machacek could play in any setting. I instantly became a fan straightaway and i have seen him twice with U.K where both times his playing was very impressive and for me, he was the highlight of those shows.
Since bursting on to the scene in the 1990s, Alex Machacek has played and collaborated with a number of different bands and artists from all genres. From U.K. to UKZ to the UZ-Project to Eddie Jobson to John Wetton to Marco Minnemann to Virgil Donati to Planet X to Derek Sherininan to Gary Husband to the Out Trio to B.P.M. to Terry Bozzio to CAB to Brand X. He has played with them all and currently leads his own band called FAT (Fabulous Austrian Trio)
When you hear Machacek, you know straight it's him as he has a distinct sound on the guitar that leans towards the legato style of playing and he really channels the spirit of the legendary Allan Holdsworth but is very much his own man with his own unique voice, style and musical style. His music is influenced by Allan Holdsworth and Frank Zappa, he also incorporates different styles ranging from jazz to progressive rock to progressive metal to fusion to avant garde.
Alex Machacek is not a well known figure and remains an unknown commodity outside of the guitar world but the ones who do know him, he is considered by many to be one of the best guitar players in the world and has quietly carved out a well deserved and much earned reputation as one of the most versatile musicians on the scene.
For today's special edition, i am going to be taking a look at Alex Machacek's catalogue which is a total of 8 albums, 7 studio albums and 1 live recording. As always, i will be talking about each album individually and choosing which one i think is the best, not an easy challenge as all of these albums are excellent, some are a little bit better than others, a couple are a bit strange but you will see how much Alex Machacek has evolved not only in his guitar playing but as a composer and as a bandleader.
Alex Machacek in my opinion is one of the most important voices for the guitar today.
Jazz album episode 183 - Alex Machacek Discography review
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