Marc Wagnon - Albums Collection 1988-2010 (4CD)

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Marc Wagnon - Albums Collection 1988-2010 (4CD)

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Though his talent as a percussionist was immediately evident, the real story of Marc Wagnon's success is one of a series of fortunate encounters with equally prodigious artists. Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, his early musical tastes focused on progressive rock bands like King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Yes and Genesis. He was also impressed with the fusion sounds of Miles Davis and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. It was a Gary Burton concert, though, which helped him focus his desire to become a musician – he was impressed with Burton's technique, creativity and flexibility on the vibraphone. Soon after seeing that influential performance he would enter the Geneva Conservatory to study classical percussion, including the vibraphone, which would become his instrument of choice.

The five years that Wagnon spent at the Geneva Conservatory was supplemented by a year at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. Though his time there was short, it produced several relationships which would later prove helpful. At Berklee Wagnon met Dave Douglas, whose improvisational skills were an inspiration to Wagnon; he also met Dave Kikowski, who would become his consistent collaborator.

After his stint at Berklee, Wagnon moved to New York City where he began a series of projects and really began to develop his own unique style. He formed Dr. Nerve with Kikowski, a band with an aggressive, grinding sound that Wagnon described as "Schoenberg meets the Sex Pistols." During the Dr. Nerve years, Wagnon kept busy with several side projects. He produced an album under the band name Tunnels with famed bassist Percy Jones and Brand X drummer Frank Katz in 1993 entitled With Percy Jones. Tunnels featured a more straight-ahead jazz fusion sound than Dr. Nerve, showing off Wagnon's skill on the vibes. Wagnon's side projects didn't seem to affect his commitment to Dr. Nerve, however. Before they disbanded in 1997, they would release seven albums on the Cuneiform label. In that same year, Wagnon released the results of two other side projects. With No No Diet Bang, a collection of Swiss musicans, he produced a cd entitled Profan for the Bambrus record label. He also kicked off his new music service company, Buckyball, by releasing a collaboration with vocalist (and Buckyball co-founder) Sarah Pillow: Paper Cuts, which was a collection of jazz standards. The label would eventually release several other Wagnon releases, including a reissue of a side project from the late '80s, Shadowlines. Another Tunnels album, Painted Rock, and another collaboration with Pillow, An Afterthought, both pushed Wagnon further into experimental jazz territory and showed off his consistently evolving technical mastery.

Biography by Stacia Proefrock, Allmusic.com

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Marc Wagnon - Albums Collection 1988-2010 (4CD)

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Marc Wagnon - Albums Collection 1988-2010 (4CD)

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Many of us have been anticipating the reissue on CD of Swiss vibraphonist Marc Wagnon's late 80's LP titled, Shadowlines. Wagnon, a member of the much beloved New York prog-rock/modern jazz outfit 'Dr. Nerve', along with the powerhouse prog/fusion band Tunnels and a lengthy tenure with the infamous 'Brand X' has done the modern jazz community a favor by reissuing this gem. Here, Wagnon enlists the audacious talents of trumpeter, Dave Douglas, saxophonist Bob Malach, Dr. Nerve guitarist Nick Didkowsky, pianist Dave Kikoski along with other notables of the New York jazz scene.

An electric-acoustic blend of high octane performances coupled with Wagnon's thoroughly memorable compositions, Shadowlines is a multifaceted yet overtly stylized recording that skirts the fringes of fusion while ultimately - a jazz-based recording. The proceedings get off the ground with spark and vitality on the opening composition titled, 'Bazillus Samba', featuring the up-front and brassy performances of trumpeter nonpareil, Dave Douglas who rides atop drummer Jim Mussen's commanding funk induced rhythms… On this piece, Wagnon launches into a lengthy and quite climactic solo in straight four time, which subsequently develops into a rapid samba motif accented by melodically tinged yet brief razor sharp choruses from Douglas and trombonist Carl Reinlib. The piece titled, 'What Are Doing Those Little Atoms' (previously unreleased) features sharp, clear-toned picking by guitarist Mark Lambert, hard-edged funk rhythms, countering off-center phrasing by Dave Douglas and gobs of luminous tonal color provided by Wagnon who effectively balances the rhythms and recurring themes. 'M'Tume' commences with sharp, jolting unison lines between Wagnon and bassist Leo Traversa as this piece builds up steam amid alternating choruses and improvisation from the mini horn section of Douglas and Reinlib. Here, the listener is treated to a burgeoning yet ' gleefully in-your-face arrangement capped off by Lambert's pleasingly nasty electric guitar work. 'D-Tune' boasts a hybrid Latin-Rock beat and a captivating melody line along with a bevy of dynamics from the charged up ensemble as Wagnon displays his incredible chops and awe-inspiring technique while having some fun deconstructing and reassembling the melody. The composition titled, 'Galactic' features a delightful free-jazz solo by bass clarinetist Michael Lytle which effectively offsets the straight four backbeat followed by guitarist Nick Didkowsky's slicing and dicing and altogether penetrating electric guitar solo. 'Sunny But Wimpy' (Previously unreleased) features complex unison choruses and shifting themes all with a relaxed sense of urgency!

Your adrenaline will most certainly rise while listening to Shadowlines ! A tour-de-force, hard hitting yet sonorous affair that bridges the gap between similar yet historically detached genres. You get a little of everything here, but the winning formula resides within the strong compositions, near flawless execution, meaningful solos and overall sense of unity! This is craftsmanship of an exalted order. Highly recommended!

Review by Glenn Astarita, AllAboutJazz.com

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Marc Wagnon - Albums Collection 1988-2010 (4CD)

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Vibraphonist Wagnon has heard the fusion music of the '70s, and it has stuck with him. He's also quite cognizant of post-bop jazz horns, James Brown, and siren songs as evoked during much of this effort by Sarah Pillow. Trumpeters Dave Douglas and, especially, Tim Ouimette, trombonists Phil Arnold for the bulk and Ray Anderson for two solos, guitarist Van Manakas, bassist Greg Jones, and drummer Frank Katz round out this well-rounded, thoroughly contemporary, daring, and modern music ensemble. Pillow, as vocalist and lyricist, takes the lioness share of these "tunes." Her instrument is impressive, as flexible, scattable, dour and deep, or joyous and bold as anyone might need. A pained woman's anthem "Venus Incognito" goes from funk bridge to spacey and back, a tortured fighter's lament informs the poignant words and calmed funk of "The Warrior," while sweet oohs and ahhs follow the more quirky chart over a one-note bass ostinato and hard funk for Ouimette's solo and Wagnon's oriental flavored vibes during the title cut. In a more operatic, spooky, wordless stance (remembering Eileen Gilbert of the Jazz Modes?), Pillow lights up the complex staccato horn collective with Douglas on "Aria," and in a direct, no-nonsense fashion calls out "politicians, fire trucks, rabbis, lawyers, liars, health officials, allies, bankers, or robbers" who cannot put out the fire of human ignorance of "Slow Burn," scatting a bit as well. Pillow also waxes woefully on the serene "Ode to a Star," again scatting on the bridge. The instrumental tracks are equally virile. The hip funk of "New Old World" is guitar led, horn followed, and they join together in neat, clean splendor, a truly original musical idea requiring your attention. A 5/4-based "Sound Sculpture" sports a bright second melody after Ouimette's solo, and the cool funk of "The Shadowline" has Douglas again in the ensemble of a great unison horn line, with an inserted Afro-Cuban percussion workout. Katz presents the coda of the CD in a drum solo "Postlude." This recording holds interest from start to finish, the musicianship and originality is lofty, and Wagnon should be quite proud of this individualists effort. Recommended.

Review by Michael G. Nastos, Allmusic.com

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Marc Wagnon - Albums Collection 1988-2010 (4CD)

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Something rare in jazz, Conjunction is billed to a rhythm section: drummer Mike Clark, bassist Paul Jackson, and vibraphonist Marc Wagnon, although the latter gets a leading role in this outfit, thanks to his great technique and his use of MIDI vibes to expand the soloing range of his instrument. This trio is completed by four guest musicians: guitarist extraordinaire David "Fuze" Fiuczynski, tenor sax Jed Levy, trombonist Josh Roseman, and reedist Chris Speed. This impressive lineup can be reduced to a quartet ("Horta-Culture") and go up to a sextet (on five tracks). If one takes out the post-bop ballad "Horta-Culture," the music on this CD lies somewhere between Pierre Moerlen's Gong and the Chick Corea Elektric Band, although funkier than any of them. "East West" and "Conjunction" provide the most satisfactory moments: a driving rhythm section, hot brass licks, and nice guitar. Fiuczynski sounds shy on this album; his work remains rather uninvolved, a feeling reinforced by the fact that his guitar is kept low in the mix. Otherwise, Conjunction makes an enjoyable album both for casual listening and for close-up inspection (you can spend hours studying Wagnon's intricate patterns). Not best-of-the-year material, but a job well done.

Review by François Couture, Allmusic.com

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Marc Wagnon - Albums Collection 1988-2010 (4CD)

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It took multi-instrumentalist Mark Wagnon an entire year to record and mix Earth is a Cruel Master, an engaging collection of original jazz-rock grooves with whirlwind melodic themes and robust improvisations. Known primarily as a vibraphonist, the New York-based Wagnon also plays drums, marimba, keyboards and various percussion instruments throughout the recording. Aided by guitarist Van Manakas, electric bassist Leo Traversa and, on a couple of tunes, upright bassist Danny Stone, the disc has the raw sound of a live band with the benefit of overdubbing and electronic embellishment.

Wagnon's compositions utilize a layering of complementary themes, incorporating the instrumentation at hand, mainly guitar and vibraphone, but at times bass and even drum set with vibrant backbeats that take on a melodic flair. As with much of the so-called fusion genre, Wagnon's music eschews traditional song forms in favor of compositions consisting of various sections, sometimes connected to one another as with the opening "Echo Star" and sometimes seemingly unconnected as with the almost danceable "Embarquement."

There's an exciting element of unpredictability throughout the recording with no one piece sounding alike. The deep-groove of the atmospheric "Osiris Pre-science," which gradually unfolds into an explosive medium for Wagnon and Manakas to improvise over, sits like a distinctly flavored course among the soulful, odd-metered funk of "Dark Matters" and the anxious intensity of "Backsheesh."

The loop-based, world music vibe of "Eye of the Skies: a Farewell" and the heavy-handed 6/8 pulse of "Light at the End" give Wagnon an opportunity to showcase his staggering technique on the vibes. His solos lines are fluid and full of fresh ideas. Equally impressive as a soloist is Manakas who creates an exuberant noise on the closing track "Selective Memories."

Earth is a Cruel Master is a first-rate release of creative, forward-thinking composing supported by spectacular musicianship.

Review by John Barron, AllAboutJazz.com