Tag: mark lettieri

I do step outside of my rock and metal comfort zone from time to time, especially for great instrumental music. I’m sure everyone has heard of Snarky Puppy, right? Well, this is how Mark Lettieri came into my radar. I witnessed them live and I was just blown away. As you do when you find something great, you dig a little deeper to see what else in that stratosphere may tweak your ears to some more amazing sounds, and Mark was the first I latched onto.

It’s very easy to attach the word “Fusion” to albums like this as it’s a bit of a catch all, and for sure some of the tracks fall into that. Lead off tune Dragonfly is just wonderful and if you’re looking for a reference then Satriani instantly pops into your brain but with way more swing and groove. Canyon Run is just awesome! Yup, fusion is the go to word with masses of swing, groove, and killer playing. Not just a squillion notes but notes with meaning and purpose.

Black Iris is next up and the groove and beat are very slow with a jazz feel to the piano intro. The guitar tone and sound reminds a lot of King Crimson Discipline period. This is a song that evolves into a differing beast as it progresses. The keys and violin are as much the centrepiece as much as the guitar.

Blankworld kicks off Side 2 and again, it’s another track that morphs into something completely different from it’s beginning, with some superb playing from Mark. A cover of Cindy Lauper’s Time After Time is up next. It’s quite hard to get away from a that iconic melody and make it your own, but I love the way this has been done. It has a much more delicate feel. This side closes out with a track called Shimmy Tiger and this is the one I heard before the album was released. A very upbeat and happy melody with a great funky undertone with killer playing.

Saturday Stuff groove’s on in, quite literally. Major amounts of funky grooves as the baritone guitar comes out to play alongside Wes Stephenson’s monster bass playing. Man, I could listen to grooves like that all day! Keeping the groove going, albeit with a slower vibe, is Medallion. This is such a cool tune with differing tempos and killer licks, it is a pure joy to listen to. Greenspace starts out very sparse but builds with a freakin’ awesome funky riff.

Keeping the listener on their toes, Palisade kicks off with a pop beat almost from the eighties. Do you remember a song called Blue Hotel? Well, the main guitar reminds me of that until we get very busy when all sorts of tones come flying at you. Very cool song! The funk returns with Neural Net, a wicked groove and I love the simple keys main melody line. The album close out with Gemstone where we end just as we started, with some killer funky fusion.

Mark keeps it interesting with every release and if you like instrumental music with a groove then I suggest this should be high on your list.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

This is solo album number five for the part time Snarky Puppy guitarist, or should that be full time? Mark is a very prolific musician. As well as the eleven Snarky Puppy recordings, there are seven of his own, five with the Fearless Flyer, and a squillion other sessions he has contributed to. I do love some instrumental rock/fusion/funk tunes, and Mark’s style certainly floats my boat.

Album opener Blockheads has a touch of the Jeff Beck Wired vibes to the main groove, at least with some very cool playing from Mark. I would have bought this record just for Naptime alone. Absolutely freakin’ awesome funky groove. There is so much melody to his playing, and it’s not always about playing all the notes at the same time. This is my favourite track, it’s a beast of a tune! A massive shout out to the groove twins Jason Thomas on drums and Wes Stephenson on bass. Definitely a dynamic duo! Seuss Pants follows and the tone and feel on this slow groove is just wonderful, even when he goes through the gears. Side 1 closer is Point Iz. Another slow groove piece all about the clean tones.

Flipping over to Side 2 is Chicory, with a very understated reggae vibe. Again, I love the tone and feel, and when we click into the slow funk and the sax kicks in… soooo cool. The switch back to the reggae is just wonderful. Bubinca has a wicked groove, and I think we have switched to the Barritone on this one. The groove and tempo increases somewhat on next track Huh, man this tune slays. Superb grooves and playing, switching tones and sounds, great stuff! Ojai closes out the album and the acoustic comes out to play as well as a resonator, and they sound so clear.

There we have it, another quality album from Mr. Lettieri. I think this would be a great addition to your collection.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

I’m not sure how many of you are up on your modern instrumental jazz/funk, but Mark Lettieri is the man. I’m sure a lot of you are familiar with Snarky Puppy and their universe of musicians. I first noticed Mark while he was playing guitar with them. This is album number six out of seven as a solo artist, although he has released albums as a guest as well as a member of The Fearless Flyers. The Barritone Sessions I’m assuming is the use of said guitars, and the low end sounds and grooves that instrument producers.

It’s worth the price of the album alone for the first two tracks Red Dwarf and Magnetar. The heavy funk grooves of these two tunes are just freakin’ awesome. Mark is not a wham bam, widdley diddly distortion, 1000 notes a second guy, lots of clean tones and cool little runs and riffs with plenty of attention to the dynamics of the piece. Pulsar even has hints of reggae mixed in with the funk, and that solo is killer. The production is top drawer giving everything a chance to breathe and is not overpowering. Tidal Tail slows the groove down a little with a more 70’s feel, but man these cats can sure play and I defy anyone not to groove to these sounds. Side 1 closes out with Voyager 1, the groove slowing right down but still mean and nasty.

Side 2 opens up with the funk rock shuffle of Star Catchers. With no other than Mr. Steve Lukather guesting on guitar, and those horns are just killer. The middle section with the solo, change of beat, and groove is just wonderful. Blue Straggler is up next and the groove is so good and yet different with that slide guitar, I’m guessing is the blue straggler. The groove change near the end is just killer. Nebulae is up next and the funk is given a subtle hint of the Caribbean, but that main riff and groove are superb and that guitar tone is really cool. Supernova starts really slow and eerie and then that main riff and groove dive in. Superb middle section where the groove is dialled up and the tones get really heavy, and one moment of guitar hero. The record closes out with Sublight, a cool acoustic piece with a nice shuffle on the brushes as accompaniment.

Everyone needs some groove in their soul, especially when it’s done so well. This is another everyone should own album. Oh, and my favourite track is Magnetar.

10/10 from The Grooveman.