VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE
January 2001 Issue
VG Hit List
by John Heidt

John Bruschini
As You Were
Cathexis

Yes, I have a new favorite album. This mix of straight-ahead jazz, imaginative fusion, and funk has haunted my various CD players non-stop for the last month or so. Bruschini is one of those players who mixes incredible chops with overwhelming taste to make you do nothing but scratch your head in wonder.

John's made the rounds in the jazz world. He's played with Cecil Taylor for some time, and worked with other well-known artists. Here, on his own album, he uses lightening-quick, imaginative bursts mixed with tasteful unison work with Jim Nolet on viola to create a killer title cut.

Any instrumental album rests on more than the players: the songs have to be good. And they are here. From the funk/rock of "Bloodroot," to the light swing of "Way Down," to the '70s style fusion of "B4," everything here cooks. Bruschini's soloing is exquisite, and the rhythm section plays its rear end off.

By the way, just in case you think he sounds like another million-notes-per-minute soloist with incredible chops and no feel, don't worry. He's the real deal. Imaginative and daring, he's never boring. Highly recommended. Contact Cathexis at 888-635-6392.