De Villiers Jr., Jerry: The Turning Point Archives

There are times where an artist strikes the right chord with you, and that’s the case with Canadian guitar virtuoso Jerry De Villiers Jr. I was introduced to his playing through the solo work of bassist Antoine Fafard (Spaced Out) who I also highly recommend you check out. De Villiers has it all; great tone, phrasing, speed, but most importantly he’s an excellent writer.

The studio tracks were recorded in 1995 and this was a project put together named Turning Point. The live portion was recorded in 1994. Why this was not released until 2014 is beyond me, but thankfully someone saw fit to do so. The CD is split between seven studio and seven live tracks, running 76 minutes in total. High energy fusion with the supporting musicians making the songs and Jerry’s playing come alive. The opening “When I See You� kicks things off with a bang, and is followed up with some gorgeous playing in “White Sand� which cleverly blends in some atmospheric moments which help clear the runway for a dramatic finish. “Numb� is a gorgeous track, and shows that even when you get mellow, there can be an impact to the music. “Blind City� is one that really moves me, his control with the whammy bar creates some beautiful lines, and then his legato playing allows him to absolutely blaze, but ultimately it is the main melody that sticks in my head. I love the unison lines in “BebHop Blues� and the only thing bad I can say is its too short. The studio tracks close with the monster “Dog Dance�, featuring the piano of James Gelfand, and De Villiers absolutely goes for broke here, accompanied by sax and trumpet; this is how you close an album.

As if the studio tracks weren’t hot enough, now you have 7 live tracks to enjoy. There are a few repeat songs, but in a live setting they add more fuel to the fire. If you like clean tones, “Turning Point� caught my ear, and the lightening runs in a very jazzy “Casino�, I’m absolutely in awe of this guy. Make sure to check out the bass playing too, killer on these two tracks. If you are still reading, then yes, you need this CD. De Villiers Jr. is a unique talent, he may come from the Holdsworth school, but he has his own thing going on. If you like high octane guitar driven fusion, this is a must for your collection. And if you’re listening, C’mon Jerry, give us some more music!!

Track List:

1. When I See You (Studio)
2. White Sand (Studio)
3. Raradina (Studio)
4. Numb (Studio)
5. Blind City (Studio)
6. BeHop Blues (Studio)
7. Dog Dance (Studio)
8. Last Man On Earth (Live)
9. Big Daddy (Live)
10. Turning Point (Live)
11. Casino (Live)
12. BeHop Blues (Live)
13. Raradina (Live)
14. Dog Dance (Live)

Added: February 12th 2023
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Artist Facebook Page
Hits: 298
Language: english

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