Ryan, Jim: The Ghost Dog Tour Compilation

Sax visionary Jim Ryan took his Ghost Dog Tour to six US cities during May & June of 2007, recording over 12 hours of live concerts, of which the CD release The Ghost Dog Tour Compilation offers up a 74 minute sampling of the adventurous avant-garde & jazz sounds that the musician and his friends created. Seeing as each night Ryan performed with a different set of players, you can expect a real hodge-podge of styles here, from funky flavored be-bop, to scorching free jazz, to more dissonant and chaotic avant-garde jaunts. Through it all, Jim's husky, sometimes searing, often smokey sax lines are the standout, taking charge on the impenetrable wall of chaos on the Velvet Lounge track from Chicago, or the Zappa-ish improv recorded at the Iron Post in Urbana. Problem is, with so much diversity, so many different musicians, and so many venues, most of these pieces feel like jam sessions and out of control improvs, and the sound quality on some of the pieces is not that great. When you add in the fact that many tracks just cut off mid-stream, it makes for a very unsatisfying listen at times. Still, for a sampling of the raw power and talent of Jim Ryan, you might want to give this one a try.

Track Listing

1. Black Dog Cafe
2. Center for Independent Artists
3. Clown Lounge
4. Acadia Cafe
5. Velvet Lounge
6. Mercury Cafe
7. Iron Post
8. Milo Electrik
9. Downtown Music Gallery
10. Jimmy's Back Room
11. ABC No Rio.CO.MA
12. Artists's I.D.

Added: February 25th 2008
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: EdgeTone Records
Hits: 3881
Language: english

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