This cd was just released Tuesday. After a couple spins through I consider this another great effort from a great musician/composer and the first new music in over 3 years.

Gary Meek makes you forget about Brandon Fields real fast. Tom Kennedy splits the bass duties with Ric Fierabracci and Richie Garcia plays percussion on a few tracks. Paul Pesco plays a very subtle guitar on a few tracks as well.

Weckl fans will love this cd. While there are flashes of the old sound (Jay Oliver, Buzz Feitzen era) it is clearly a different sound loaded with adrenaline. While I loved "Perpetual Motion", I thought it was fun and very (maybe too)accessible. I was hoping "Multiplicity" wasn't going to be more of the same and it's not. I think Multiplicity digs down a little deeper and is perhaps a little more complex. There is a lot going on in the music, a lotta technical prowness across the board and a lotta "how'd he do that?"s go through your mind. A real musician's cd. If you like your C-Jazz rockin' it doesn't get much better than this. I think this will go down as one of Dave's best.

I'm with you Steve! Just finished my first time through "Multiplicity" and I love the writing, arrangements and interaction of the band.

Weckl's skill and sense of time on drums continues to defy description. And I'd suggest that it's impossible to sit still when he's on the kit. Only drummers like Weckl, Will Kennedy and Dennis Chambers have had this effect on my ears and responses.

Phil, I don't think there is a bad track on the cd.

How about #8 "Mixed Bag"? I will step out and say that is the most wicked sax solo I have ever heard by anyone. Period!....and then Weingart's key solo that follows with the drums and bass backing up the groove? Great stuff! Unlike anything Dave has ever done.

Steve and Phil,

I agree with everything you have stated. This is one fantastic cd and should make it into the top 10 cds purchased by me in 2005. The music grabs you and pulls you in within the first few seconds. Your senses perk up that you are about to hear something spectacular. Weckl (and the other players) do exactly that and it is a great project.

Lou

I bought it a little over a week ago, right before I went on vacation. So, I have only heard it once. But I agree with what has already been said. It may be his best CD ever. Peace.

Dave Walmsley (DW)..Did you pick this one up yet? Always outstanding bass chops on Weckl cd's.

Check out #5 "What It Is" Some major funk and slap going on with Mr. Fierabracci. It's all good!

G'Day Everyone: Just got back from Hawaii and picked this one up at Borders. I gota agree with all the comments, this one is Cjazz at its best.

It's nice to know that "SOME" musicians are willing to go against the "SJ" format and subsequently will be rewarded with $'s.

Also picked up Lee Ritenour' "Overtime" DVD, its the best thing I've ever seen. Just to see Patrice Rushen on Rhodes gives me goosebumps.

It's an okay recording but not all that! I wouldn't give it a Grammy.

Thanks again Mad Scientist for providing a "balancing comment" (or is it a voice of dissent)meant to make sure we don't enjoy our favorite artists too much.

It's just my opinion and almost everyone who post on this BBS has one. No one can stop you from enjoying your favorite artists without your permission. For some reason, I could not get into this recording eventhough I think Weckl is a skillful and artful drummer.

Ars, you are missing Phils point. It's about "tact."

Had your original post merely said...

"For some reason, I could not get into this recording eventhough I think Weckl is a skillful and artful drummer"

that would have been fine, but your first post has a derragatory tone to it.

I stand by my first post.

For some of you East Coast/Midwesterners, here's a copy of Dave's tour page for Multiplicity....somthing to look forward to!

DWB MIDWEST/EAST COAST TOUR
FALL 05

Oct. 7: Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL.
Oct. 8: Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL - CLINIC DAVE ONLY
Oct. 9: Martyr's Chicago, IL
Oct. 10: Jazz Kitchen, Indianapolis, IN
Oct. 11: Wilbert's, Cleveland, OH
Oct. 12: Harrisburg, PA
Lebanon Catholic Shcool
1400 Chestnut St.
Lebanon PA 17042
Oct. 13: Avalon Theater, 40 E. Dover St. Easton, MD
Oct. 14,15: Zanzibar Blue, Philadelphia, PA
Oct. 17,18: Blues Alley, Washington D.C.
Oct. 19-23: Iridium, NYC
Oct. 25: Ryle's Cambridge, MA
Oct. 26: Oneida High School, 560 Seneca St., Oneida NY
Oct. 27: The Colony, Vernon, CT

Thanks Tony!

I'm at the Chicago show! Should be a good one.

hmm... a Weckl date, 3 miles from my house. It'll be a busy weekend....

first Weckl, then the Ripps, then Steve Lukather - I decided to go to NYC to catch Luke live.

Ahh, but life is too fragile to worry about -umm- sleeping. Gotta go for it while you can!

They're doing two shows in Washington, DC. I won't be attending either show.

That's OK Mad.... but I'm curious as to why you feel the need to tell us that you won't attend a show. I'm not sure what it accomplishes - it's not as if you're an obvious Weckl fan.

Steve & Tony & I are Weckl fans, and they know how disappointed I was 3 years ago - when I missed Weckl - with Adam Nitti.

I'm a Weckl fan and I'll be missing the shows!

oh man...Weckl and Nitti on one stage may be more than my heart could handle... but I'd love to try it. Nitti is just amazing, right up there with Victor Wooten in my book. That's some rare air.

MadS, sorry you can't make the shows- I hope it's nothing serious that's keeping you away...

Sheesh, you'll notice none of them are within a couple hours drive of Charlotte...I'm hoping as the webpage gets updated, that more shows will pop up, hopefully in the deeper South.
But, I thought it worth passing along, as we have to help these guys out as much as we can if we want this quality of music to stick around.
How I'd love to have a "Baked Potato" kind of place here in Charlotte.

Kat, speaking of Luthaker, do you have the Larry Carlton/Luthaker Live in Japan CD? I don't listen to it often, it's pretty "out there", but it's always a guitar lover's feast whenever I do. If you don't have it, let me know- I'll send you a "sample"

later- glad this was useful to some of you.

Yeah, I have the Japanese import for Luke and Larry. It has the same tracks, but I just like having the kanji insert. Made my Mom smile... to translate it for me. Steve Vai co-produced the CD.

There's another import with Luke, Santana and Jeff Beck that I've been trying to get. It's called "Night of the Guitars" and is a 2 CD set with 18 tracks.

It's so rare to hear guitar these days, and I don't see that Satriani or Vai are coming this way soon. So I thought I would head off to catch Luke while I could.

BTW, Toto has a CD coming out next spring.....

Speaking of Mr Weckl, there's a Chuck Loeb CD called Magic Fingers - with Andy Laverne & Will Lee & Mr Weckl.

Speaking of Lukather, do you have his SANTAMENTAL cd?? I picked one up and it was surprising great.

That's great news about a new TOTO album.

yes.... I'm such a huge Luke fan, and I heard about Santamental from this interview (watch out for the language in it...was....umm... eye opening, even for me ) He's so much fun to watch and listen to... that I got over it. If you read the interview, you'll understand within 2 paragraphs....

http://www.stevelukather.net/Interview.aspx?id=43

There's a lot of news and project stuff on Luke's site:
http://www.stevelukather.net/Homepage.aspx

Had the pleasure of seeing Dave last night at Martyrs in downtown Chicago. It was a very small, intimate setting with no more than 300 in attendance. Tom Kennedy was on bass, Steve Wiengart on keys and Gary Meek on sax. I was at a table about 8 feet from the stage dead center so it was a real treat. The band played for 2 1/2 hours. Dave's sense of timing is freakish. The house was loaded with musicians and 1/2 of the people's jaws were on the floor. I don't know how he can keep that pace going for 2 1/2 hours. Just an incredible group of players all around. I was pretty much blown away.

IMO, Weckl plays too loud. All his albums are drum showcased. He's definately got chops, but not my kind of drummer. I prefer to play and to listen to drummers with light funky grooves.

Ahhh.......to quote a Tower Of Power tune, "You're Still A Young Man"!!
Seriously, I know quite a few drummers who don't dig Weckl. Not sure why though. Could be his sense of timing can be difficult to follow as he plays a lot of odd time signature type stuff. I don't think he plays loud though! He has excellent dynamics and can play hard or soft with the best of them!

I may be young, but I am not new to the art of drumming. He is diverse. When he's playing with the Corea band, it's quite good, but on his albums, he just steels the show. His overall groove is loud. I like drummers like Billy Martin, Danny Gotlieb, I even dig the drummer from Soulive way more than Weckl, and Alan Evans can play pretty loud sometimes.

Well, I think that is the gist of his recordings....for the drums to stand out in the mix. I know what you mean though. His first few cd's had the drums insanely out front in the mix. His last few have him a little more in the mix but I think that is his intent in his records. To showcase the drums.

Yeah, you're right. I just don't really dig that.

....and in that same vein, a lot of folks don't dig [bassist] Marcus Miller's recordings because his bass is so out front in the mix but it's what he does! I don't mind if it's done tastefully. If you listen to any 'virtuso' type cd, that person's instrument is usually isolated and enhanced in the mix!

I saw Dave Weckl and his band last night in Cleveland. Those guys are absolutely sick!

No doubt! Perhaps much of it has to do with the fact that watching the drums/percussion is such a visual thing but that was perhaps the greatest performance I have ever witnessed by a musician. I also liked the fact that Dave kept plugging his bandmates and their works/releases all night long. These guys are all heavy hitters and the wealth was shared all around the stage.

Over the years many jazz critics have felt that while Dave Weckl is an enormous talent, the feeling is that his drum style involves too much flash, whatever that means.

Other drummers like the great Peter Erskine feel the drummer occupying a chair in a rhythm section needs to handle the kit in a way that allows "space" for the other players. Again, while not being exactly sure as to what this means (perhaps one of you can enlighten me on this subject?), I believe that's been the feeling about Weckl--that he doesn't allow enough of this "space." I've read of such comments a number of times in discussions of Dave Weckl.

Regardless, the guy is in constant demand by a host of other artists and frankly, as I've seen him a number of times "live," he simply knocks me out. And I've never felt that he over-shadowed the other players in his groups.

Would it be a good thing to "suppress" such an enormous talent?

Again, I think in the context of his own band and recordings, the drums are the focus and key componant. Now when he plays on other folks recordings, he blends in extremely well. Check out any Steve Khan or Michel Camilo recording with him playing and you hear a difference in dynamics. Peter Erskine has never been a 'flash' type drummer. I fully understand his point but remember, it's coming from an 'accompanying' style drummer as opposed to someone like Weckl or Buddy Rich or any other 'flash' type drummer. As good as Weckl is, I don't think he's a first call session player. Erskine, JR Robinson, Ricky Lawson and the like, I'm sure, will get the call first, IMO! But still, don't count Weckl out as a drummer who cannot be a part of a rhythm section without all the flash. He just has a lot to say, still. Just my 2 cents..........

In a strange twist, I'm here in Denver, doing work for a client - who is going east in about 2 weeks. He mentioned going to a jazz show in Philadelphia and I was trying to make conversation and asked "Zanzibar Blue?".

Since I was at Zanzibar Blue last week, I had seen signs for the Dave Weckl shows this week. When I mentioned it to my client, he said "Oh, I know Dave really well. We went to college in Connecticut together".

Sure enough, Dave played in the jazz band at the University of Bridgeport before he joined Chick Corea's band. It was a solid school back then in 1978, but not a powerhouse school like Berklee. I remember that it always had a strong reputation for the jazz program.

One thing I notice when I listen to Dave during a show - his drums are tuned to different pitches, and on some tunes, you can pick out a repeating melody of what he's playing. The focus is on the drums, which is not what other bands do. There are always strong players in Weckl's band - and I just hear it as counterpoint to what he's playing.

I think I listen to get a dose of music that is very much not imitated by anyone else. It's unique and a fingerprint, not a clone.

I agree that Weckl's style of music puposely has the drums "out front". I love it, it's pure adrenaline! Much of the stuff from Erskine, DeJohnette, etc. bores me. Personal preference, I guess. As a live act in Weckl's band, the solos are spread out evenly among all.

I don't see Weckl as a first name session player either as he's too accomplished. Kind of like Metheny or Dimeola being a session player on a Brian Blade or Joshua Redman cd.

Ok.... I did go to see Mr Weckl on Thursday evening and it was intense.

I think the instrumentation is perfect for his style - and because it was bass, keys & sax - I didn't think the music was overpowered by the drums. He did do a trademark 20 minute solo, but it wasn't loud or crashy - which drum solos can turn into (my opinion only, not meant to offend any drummers). His sense of time is just a marvel - and the solo had nuances, it wasn't a fast and flash show.

Dave was really nice, and signed a CD for his buddy from the jazz band.

I think a lot of folks have mentioned that Tom Kennedy is fantastic bassist. Probably not a lot said about Gary Meek but he is a great player.... and the hooks that he was doubling along with Steve Weingart were incredible - they play so well together.

For me, the unsung hero is Steve Weingart. I went into NYC on Saturday to see Steve Lukather, and I wasn't sure what kind of show Luke was gonna put on.

It turned out to be El Grupo - a fusion-groove-jam rock band - with Oskar Cartaya on bass, Joey Heredia on drums - and Steve Weingart on keys. My jaw dropped. Weingart was 180 degrees away from what he was playing on Thursday - I had to force myself to watch Luke because I was so amazed.

And because the place for the Weckl show was so small (about 350 people), I had bumped into Steve Weingart outside the room - so he knew my face... when he saw my face in the audience in NYC, it was a bit of a doubletake.... kind of like when my jaw dropped when El Grupo took the stage, a funny moment in time.

The whole band was fantastic. My only disappointment was that all of the El Grupo CDs were sold....

Hey Kat, I found this . Hope there's some info there for you.

yeah, I'm expecting El Grupo CDs on e-Bay after next week when they play in Milan.... I arrived at BB King's at 7:15 - and because the doors opened at 6PM, all the CDs were gone. Ack! But somebody posted on Luke's site that there were CDs after the 10:30 show.... maybe they dug out another box.

I want the CD because a killer version of "Birdland" is on it, along with Hendrix's "Little Wing". It's a live recording from the Baked Potato.

Dave - you would have really dug Oskar on bass.... check out his stuff. I'm searching thru my Spyro Gyra CDs to find "Fast Forward"..... he plays on it. I had heard him last year with Nestor Torres.... but last night was not only jaw dropping, but eye opening. His bass solos floored me.

There's audio and video of Steve Weingart here (and you can see/hear Dave Weckl & Tom Kennedy):
http://www.steveweingart.com/

I think Oscar played on Rites of Summer and Point of View as well (kind of the period between Kim Stone and Scott Ambush.
Jim

Thanks Jim.... yup, Oskar is on those 2 as well.

Nice extensive newsletter on what Dave has been up to. I love to hear him talk about how to play stuff on the Q & A section at the end.

http://www.davewecklnews.com/index.htm

Looks like Dave will be on a new Mike Stern release due out soon with Richard Bona and Anthony Jackson and Me'Shell NdegeOcello (Phil, this should go on your "How Do You Say That Name? thread)

News from the Weckl camp....

Keyboard extraordinaire Steve Weingart is out (bummer) and Jay Oliver is back in. Interesting. Some other news as well.

http://www.daveweckl.com/news.htm

Thanks for the heads up. Weingart is a great player for sure, but these things happen. Jay Oliver can play too (of course), so the DWB is alive and well. Peace.

I'll have to watch for some El Grupo dates to catch Steve Weingart .... DW will be here in September......

I've always dug Dave's stuff. the cat can hit!! Another cat I dig is Rod Morgenstein, especially the Rudess Jordan stuff. Dave's got something to say, and he says it well!! Just like all the greats, they have something to say, and each one has his or her own way to say it.

The El Grupo CD is out, so hopefully I can catch Steve Weingart soon.... also Steve's CD will be out soon.... look who played on it:

Frank Gambale-guitar, Jimmy Earl-bass, Tom Brechtlein-drums. Ernie Watts-sax, and Ronnie Gutierrez-percussion

http://www.steveweingart.com/

Next week, Dave Weckl in Boston!

Will also see Dave with the Elektrik Band in November... I am prepared to be afraid. Chick Corea, Eric Marienthal, Dave Weckl, Frank Gambale and Victor Wooten.....

so I went and Dave was amazing. I didn't have the opportunity to see him last week, here in CT - 3 miles from my house because - oh yuck - I've been travelling 3 and 4 days a week to work in Boston and New York. He was in Boston yesterday, and that lined up with one of my Boston work days.

The band is amazing, and even more so - the place sold out for both shows on a Tuesday. It was full of Berklee students and fusion heads. I had to laugh because in the front row for the second show was a Mom, a Dad and a 10 month old baby. Every time Dave went for a cymbal, that baby would wave his little arm like he was playing, too. The whole band and crew seemed a bit worried before the show because the baby wailed, but actually - he was more into the show than some adults I've seen at other shows.

The students, as always, are a trip. Playing air drums, hitting air cymbals and running after Dave every time the poor guy walks off the stage. This time, Jay Oliver had his own flock of students!

Today, I received the Steve Weingart newsletter and here's a snippet for you. If you want the whole thing, sign up at Steve's site- it's long and more like a blog.

That's awesome, Kat.

DWB will be back in town here for a show Dec. 3rd.

I've invited a friend that is a jazz piano teacher by profession...but he isn't really familiar with Dave's work. I think he will be quite impressed.

He will be. Dave's a hittin' cat.

I had the pleasure of catching Dave Weckl last night for the last show of the Fall tour. I attended with a couple musicans that were only vaguely familiar with Dave's work.

This was quite a different show than when I saw them last time around about 14 months ago where they featured Multiplicity. They played one set about an hour 40 minutes long. A few new songs a few standards and a few very early Weckl tunes from the Jay Oliver era, who has re-united with Dave to replace Steve Weingart on keys. While Dave's presence is evident in every second of the show he goes out of his way to showcase each of the other guys in the band. I was surprised to see Tom Kennedy playing upright bass for over 1/2 the show. The guy is un-fricken' believable!! Jaws were dropping all night. The highlight of the show may have been just Tom and Dave on stage for a 10 minute exerpt....what chemistry.

The guys I attended with were absolutely floored at the musicianship and range of jazz these guys can play. Go out of your way to go see this band the next time they come around. Talk about tearing it up...

I'm trying to find out if Dave will be on the hit with Greg Howe and Jon Reshard at the '07 NAMM show. Jon mentioned to me that it'll be either Dave or Steve Smith. Ya can't go wrong with either one.