| Jane Getter, On Tour | |
| Genre: | Fusion |
| Musicianship: | 4.0 |
| Songwriting: | 3.0 |
| Production & Engineering: | 3.5 |
| Vibe: | 3.5 |
| Overall Rating: |  3.5 |
In 2017, the lines between genres continue to blur, and guitarist Jane Getter further pushes the envelope between Jazz, Rock, and Fusion in her most recent live release, aptly titled On Tour (which is a play off of her last studio release titled, On). So many brilliant musicians contribute to the performances on this record, it espouses the very definition of fusion, and GOOD fusion at that.
Still, being produced by Getter and keyboardist Adam Holzman, gives this release a definitive direction and vibe, albeit uniquely driven by the various band members.
Alex Skolnick of Testament fame has been a mainstay in both the Jazz and Metal community for decades now (which is rare unto itself) and he contributes skilled and thoughtfully played lines on various tracks of the release. Before that happens on the record, we were instantly drawn into some fantastic percussion delivered by fusion drummer extraordinaire, Chad Wackerman. He is just so… musical! Taking full advantage of the various drums timbre and dynamic range, he opens the disk with the cleverly titled track, “Opener,” which is a three-minute drum cadenza with light keyboard pads. This level of musicianship sets the theme and expectation of the recordings throughout. Guitarist Getter captivates the listener instantly with an opening drum solo statement on a guitar-dominated album. Well played. It worked!
The recording takes us to the well-stated fusion piece, “Pressure Point,” bringing us melody mixed with flashy guitar lines and intelligently written chord progressions. The track, “Surprised” showcased some excellent synth and organ work, reminiscent of a more ‘70s prog/fusion vibe, albeit it with modern guitar tones and ideas underlying. Its interesting to hear music such as this paying homage to yesteryear while still remaining current.
Songs like “Inversion Layer” reveal a nice odd-time bounce in its main theme and proves that this lineup has no problem grooving, which we have found lacking in so many other fusion/prog acts.
The acoustic guitar work on “Falling” and “Transparent” showcase excellently captured sounds from the guitar and voice, and lending this concert performance a bit of a singer/songwriter vibe at times. Still retaining a loose fusion feel, its refreshing to hear the ideas this lineup has brought to these tracks. The electric piano on “Falling” was perfect for the piece.
Speaking of performance, we found this disk to be of a high standard production wise, notable for a concert recording. All of the sounds are clear, rich, beautifully mixed, and—so importantly in fusion—dynamic. The stereo spread was huge, and instrumentation was represented well in their frequency spectrums. The recording definitely breathes well with zero mud and perfect, glass like clarity.
If your playing is currently in a rut, regardless of what instrument you play, check out Jane Getter Premonition. You’ll be back up and jamming in no time, guaranteed… or you’ll be woodshedding like mad trying to elevate your performance to this level. Getter is definitely a guitarist worth getting to know.
—BS
