THE BRUCE LOFGREN GROUP

INSTRUMENTAL ADVENTURES: EARTHLY AND COSMIC TALES

Night Bird Records

Bruce Lofgren, acoustic & electric guitars/composer; Billy Hulting, hand percussion instruments; Craig Fundiga, vibraphone;  Randy Landas, acoustic, electric & fretless basses; Hope Easton, cello; Geoff Nudell, B flat clarinet.

This production reminds me of the Pan Pipe projects.  It reflects the original music of Bruce Lofgren who is a guitarist and respected composer/arranger.  The late Buddy Rich recorded Lofgren’s jazz-rock song called “Three Day Suckers” and Lofgren has arranged music for notable names like Kenny Loggins, Donna Summer, Janis Siegel (of Manhattan Transfer) both Donnie and Marie Osmond, and many others.  He has written eight of the ten songs on this project.  All the arrangements are easy listening productions, like tunes you might hear in the dentist office piped into the waiting room, or perhaps music played as you are getting your weekly massage.

This is unobtrusive background music, well-played and relaxing.  On track #5, that Lofgren titles “Tripsy” he applies a Latin groove to his original song that seems to be borrowing familiar chord changes from a Jobim song called “Desafinado.”

On the Stevie Wonder hit composition, “Creepin’” Lofgren uses the vibraphone and cello to introduce the melody with Randy Landas holding the rhythm section in place on electric guitar and taking a contemporary bass solo.

This is music without the dominance of drums, although Lofgren does apply some percussion by Grammy Award winning Billy Hulting.  This project lacks the fire and spark of extraordinary soloists. It does not meet the profundity of a jazz production.  However, it establishes a platform for Geoff Nudell to showcase his wonderful talents on the B flat clarinet and provides a stage for Hope Easton to make beautiful cello statements, and for Craig Fundiga to shine on vibraphone as they interpret Bruce Lofgren’s original compositions.

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