Barry Cleveland - Volcano

Makanda (4:50)
Tongue of Fire (5:36)
Secret Prescriptions of the Bedroom (5:40)
Black Diamond Express (4:10)
Ophidian Waves (5:32)
Obsidian Night (5:32)
Volcano (4:51)
Rhumbatism (4:42)
Dervish Circles (6:30)

Barry Cleveland: electric & acoustic guitars, vocalizer, synthesizer, synth bass, electric bass
Michael Pluznick: conga, bongo, clay pot, anklung, talking drum, bata, box drum, clavé, gourd, shaker
Michael Manring: electric bass
Norbert Stachel: piccolo, concert, alto & bass flutes; sopranino, soprano & tenor saxophones; clarinet, bass & contrabass clarinets; EWI
With:
Michael Masley: bowhammer cymbalom, reed slide, lokota slide, phenix
Lygia Ferra: voice
Maxwell Taylor: voice
Arthur Hull: conga, box drum, bongo
Kim Atkinson: conga
Chris Walker: conga, bell, shaker
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Barry Cleveland
Percussion recorded by Michael Pluznick
Recorded at ElevenEleven Recorders, Oakland, CA
Mixed at ElevenEleven Recorders and Spark Productions, Emeryville, CA
Mastered by Tony Mills at Spark Productions


Volcano Reviews

PROGRESSION
Style: World fusion/progressive
Sound: ***1/2 Composition: ***1/2 Musicianship: ****
Performance: **** Total rating: 15 (out of 16)
Sometimes spacey, oftentimes jazzy, this fascinating take on ethnic-flavored progressive jazz brims with an Afro-Haitian multi-rhythmic undercurrent that is nothing short of infectious, beguiling, and ultimately seductive. Guitarist Barry Cleveland assembled a crack team of musicians that really goes to town on Volcano, including bassist extraordinaire Michael Manring, conga player/percussionist Michael Pluznick and vocalist Lygia Ferra. Flute and sax add to the mind-bending mix, full of complex little instrumental nuances and clever twists of melody.
The multi-dimensionality (hmm, first time I’ve used that term) of this album is impressive. Not only is there a lot going on most of the time, the music also has room to breathe. Things open with the happy melodicism of “Makanda” and flow through varied tones and moods. A favorite to these ears is “Secret Prescriptions of the Bedroom” featuring Ferra’s sensuous vocals. Other contrasts include the spacey ambience of “Obsidian Night,”and the head-trippin’, psychedelic swirl of “Dervish Circles.”
Yet, whatever stylistic shift is hinted at on this disc, you’re never far from its jazz/ethnic foundation. Cool stuff! —John Collinge

INNERVIEWS.COM
Barry Cleveland’s third album as a leader finds the renowned guitarist and composer exploring the nuances of rhythm. Drawing from a varied palette of traditions, timbres and tonalities, Volcano bridges the impressionist leanings of his previous releases with a more audacious, kinetic approach. Listeners will appreciate the disc’s pulsing rhythms, inter-weaving melodies, and layers of evocative atmospheres. — Anil Prasad

EXPOSE
For this outing, San Francisco bay area guitarist Barry Cleveland has enlisted a troop of comrades in his effort to bridge the gulf between western musical idioms and those beyond these shores. Though all are characterized by rhythmic grooves derived from non-Western sources, be it African, Latin, or Middle Eastern, each of these 10 tracks takes on a unique flavor of its own. This begins with the arsenal and artistry of percussionist Michael Pluznick who (along with an occasional army of percussionists) joins Cleveland on the basic tracks, joined by bass god Michael Manring whose work throughout is nothing less than astounding. Witness his amazing playing on the title track or the lightning fast lines on “Rhumbatism.”
Cleveland’s guitar provides many of the leads and textures, ranging from frisky African lines (“Makanda”) to buzzing Frippian leads (“Ophidian Waves”) to waves of soundscapes (“Obsidian Night”), though he never takes the spotlight exclusively for himself. Joining him on many pieces is flute and reeds wizard Norbert Stachel who delivers performances that are very jazz-informed while remaining fresh and primal. Lygia Ferra lends deeply sensual vocals to two songs, best captured in the sweaty intensity of “Dervish Circles,” where she is joined by Maxwell Taylor for a performance that I’ll bet left everyone reaching for a cigarette once it was over. Though his contributions are often overshadowed by his guests (Manring especially), this is nonetheless a remarkable collection, and further establishes Barry Cleveland as one of the most creative guitarists of our time. —Paul Hightower

AURAL-INNOVATIONS.COM
Guitarist and music journalist Barry Cleveland has been recording steadily, both solo and participating in other musicians' projects, since his debut album was released on Larry Fast's Audion Recording Company label in 1986.
Barry's intention with his latest release, Volcano, is to explore music based on African and Afro-Haitian rhythms, fused with stylistic influences that include progressive rock, jazz, ambient and myriad "world musics" (quoting from the promo sheet). Reading that the instrumentation throughout the album is primarily made up of electric guitar, bass, flute/sax/winds and percussion, I was surprised at the range of sounds and effects the musicians create. The mindbending thrum of Michael Manring's bass is a key ingredient, while Barry's guitar produces a range of tonal delights, the result being a space-jazz-progressive-psychedelic stew that at times occupies realms similar to ethno and ambient jazz artists like Steve Tibbetts and Steve Lawson, and at others bears similarities to British festie psych bands like Ozric Tentacles and Krom Lek.
Though mostly instrumental, Lygia Ferra's beautiful chanting vocals add to the cosmic factor on "Secret Prescriptions Of The Bedroom," a song that straddles the line between ethnic flavored jazz and Eastern influenced psychedelia. I also dig the male/female vocal combination of Ferra and Max Taylor on the aptly titled "Dervish Circles." Congas galore propel the rhythmic pulse of "Black Diamond Express," with its Shadowfax-like dreamy and uplifting world music feel and Fripp styled guitar patterns. I love both the hypnotic wailing and dreamy singing guitar sounds on "Ophidian Waves," played against a throbbing rhythmic pulse. "Obsidian Night" goes deep into space with even more killer guitar. Both these tracks are highlights of the set.
Overall there's LOTS happening here and Volcano will easily appeal to a varied crowd, including prog rock fans, world music lovers who want adventure—and certainly space rock and psychedelic fans who have a taste for jazz and ambient music. The music is intricate... seductive... trance inducing... and your body will want to MOVE