Re: Andy Summers concert

[KingsleyD@aol.com]

APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE FOR THE LENGTHY POST
(particularly in light of the lack of direct looping content)

> I was glad to see that David H..? was not involved in the production of
>"The Last Dance of Mr. X."  His cheesy keyboard sounds really bugged me!!

That would be David Hentschel, otherwise known as Genesis producer (c. 
1976 -
78) and Elton John collaborator (c. 1972 - 75) and such like...

>Ever since buying Charming Snakes (I think it was - does that have him
>playing a Klien in a rather -ahem - unusual manner on the back?) I've 
>beent
>trying to figure out who it sounds like he's been listening to, and it's
>struck me now - he sounds more like a cross between Andy Summers and Larry
>Carlton (with maybe a dash of Holdsworth or Vai)... a pity, since he seems
>to be diluting his style as his technique has improved.

>Practising, kids - just say no.

I saw Andy S in Somerville MA last Wed & will see him again this Sat in
Cleveland (globe-trotter that I am...) although I'm not entirely sure why.
Particularly when he veers into a more jazz direction (such as playing 
std's:
"Straight No Chaser"; "Footprints"; "Lonely Woman") it's painful for me to
hear - and I *am* a jazz fan. I couldn't help but think that any randomly
selected first-year Berklee student (of which there were many in 
attendance),
to say nothing of, say, Steve Khan, would have played and sounded more
interesting & coherent on such tunes. And known 'em better - AS' grasp of
"SNC" was shaky at best, and at a very relaxed tempo, mind you, nothing 
like
what, say, Mike Stern would essay. 

Things improved greatly when AS chose tunes more in a rock/groove vein. He
was more animated and played more interesting lines, and the energy level 
of
the band jumped. As for Andy's jazz leanings being a result of practicing, 
I
don't get the impression AS practices a whole lot. In fact, my impression 
is
that he never practices, but just coasts on what he learned (many) years 
ago,
which includes some jazz (resort hotel orchestra gig; Soft Machine). I
couldn't see where his technique had improved even a little bit from the
Police days. 

IMHO, the problem lies in AS' *focus*, or lack thereof. When he had Der 
Sting
bossing him around ("*no*! You're *not* gonna get more than 8 bars for that
solo, and no *jazz*, either!") he was forced to come up with creative and
subtle outlets for his technical skills - which he does have, btw - e. g.,
sneaking that little Lenny Breau bit into "Can't Stand Losing You." Left to
his own devices, as he is on account of his having sold a gajillion records
with The Cops, his technical skills aren't impressive enough to hold my
interest, and his composing/choice of material is a bit scattered and
occasionally ill-considered. If Jeff Beck is a "great player in search of a
context" (liner notes to JB box set), then I'd dub AS a "good player in
search of a context." (Sorry, Andy, I *do* like you, and, hey, I'd be less
than honest if I didn't admit to some of the same weaknesses)

OK, enough of the music critic thing - now for the obligatory gear report:
Andy's Klein electrics were nowhere in evidence - he played his red 335 
thru
a Boogie rack setup (TriAxis, 2:90, pair o' 212 cabs) and used minimal
effectage, mainly some chorusing. No trademark flanger/delay, no loops. His
tone was dark to the point of muddiness, really annoying to my ears. And 
I'm
not saying that 'cos I'm a Klein person - I have a particular fondness for
335's as well. Funny story (maybe): at NAMM last winter, I attended a show
featuring AS, Allan Holdsworth, and Larry Coryell, with their respective
trios; I was there with Steve Klein and Lorenzo German (builder of Klein
electrics). AS had his Klein onstage, but it sat on a stand the entire set.
Needless to say, SK & LG were less than thrilled. AS was quite apologetic
afterwards but said the 335 fit what he was doing now a little better. 
Having
just met him, I resisted the impulse to tell him it didn't *sound* that 
way,
but I may not be able to hold my tongue when I see him Saturday. 

--Kingsley