The focus of this recording is the late pioneering guitarist Warren Harding “Sonny” Sharrock (1940-1994.) Three of Sharrock’s original compositions are covered on this 2015 release. The rest of the songs are Sharrock-inspired tracks that include distinctly original combinations of sound and rhythm. Bob Musso and Henry Kaiser both collaborated many times with Sonny Sharrock. Sonny and Bob performed and recorded together in the context of Machine Gun, the ground breaking New York – based ensemble of the 1980’s and 1990’s which also featured the late Thomas Chapin. Bob also engineered many of Sonny’s recordings, both solo and with Last Exit. When Henry bought his first guitar and brought it back to his college dorm room, the first thing he did was to slip a slide on his finger, put Pharaoh Saunder’s TAUHID album on the turntable, and attempt to play along with Sonny’s free jazz slide stylings. So in one sense he has been playing with Sonny from the very first moment he picked up a guitar. Henry eventually played live with Sonny on various tours. When Bob and Henry decided to make an album together, they naturally decided to think of their late friend and mentor Sonny, and to play for him. Gathering together three other musical pals, and after a gig at The Stone in NYC, the group surprised themselves many times with the music that they spontaneously created in the studio.
The musicians on Echoes For Sonny are some of the most diverse and innovative improvisers in the world, spanning music genres from Rock to Jazz to World to Experimental. These five musicians have played on more than 400 different albums, with such artists as Derek Bailey, Ornette Coleman, Ginger Baker, Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, Fred Frith, Jerry Garcia, Richard Thompson, Cecil Taylor, John Zorn, Dave Liebman, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, Nona Hendryx, Evan Parker, Marshall Allen, Nels Cline, Glenn Branca, Drumbo, Tisziji Munoz, Jello Biafra, Lydia Lunch, Mary Halvorson, Joe Russo, and Elliott Sharp, to name just a few. Additionally, members of this group have played on Gold and Grammy-Awarded albums. Consequently, many musical styles of electric guitar can be found as influences within the pieces on this album. Sit back and enjoy!
Musicians:
Henry Kaiser – Guitar (Right Side + Both Sides on The Echoes intro)
Bob Musso – Guitar (Center)
Nick Didkovsky – Guitar (Left Side)
Jesse Krakow – Bass Guitar
Weasel Walter – Percussion
