Green by James Sudakow

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Tracks from the CD are currently featured on Progressive Soundscapes Radio, Prog Positivity Radio, CP and The Canvas Prog Rock Hour, Epic Prog and The Rogues Gallery on The Dividing Line, The Radiant Flow, MegaRock Radio, Delicious Agony Progressive Rock Radio, Prog Palace Radio, Gagliarchives Radio WBCZ, Background Magazine Radio Show in The Netherlands, and Live365

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Here's an interesting instrumental album from electric violinist James Sudakow, titled Green. This heavy fusion affair features Sudakow on distorted electric violin (played through a Marshall amp and using a variety of effects) and he is joined by drummer David Gaziel, bassist Matt Bissonette, and Eric Zimmermann, who produced and added programming. Green is comprised of six instrumentals, all named after specific colors, and featuring a myriad of styles and textures.

The opener "Black" is a raucous fusion burner, while the more spacey "Purple" has some Tangerine Dream elements to coincide with searing violin melodies. Interestingly enough, Sudakow lists musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Vernon Reid, Dave Navarro, and John McLaughlin, all guitarists, as inspiration. The latter is very evident on "Purple", as the violinist's speedy and distorted flights sound more like McLaughlin from the Birds of Fire days of the Mahavishnu Orchestra than other violinists from that same period, like Mahavishnu's own Jerry Goodman, or even Jean Luc Ponty.

"Orange" is a more rhythmic, progressive rock sounding number, with great playing from veteran Bissonette and drummer Gaziel, who provide a rock solid foundation for some amazing violin solos from Sudakow. His ability to utilize distortion and feedback is uncanny, and something that many guitar players have trouble mastering. This tune also is remarkable for the amount of heavy riffs the violin ace throws at the listener.

Classical meets fusion on the Mahavishnu sounding "Green", a gorgeous piece that slows things down just a bit and allows for Sudakow's haunting violin passages to permeate the landscape alongside the melodic lead bass of Bissonette. But be prepared, things don't stay mellow for too long, as just when you start to get lulled into a calm state, James blasts forth with some shredding, molten shards of violin fury alongside Gaziel's pounding drum beats. The blistering hoedown of "Red" is up next, a complex and heavy number with raging rhythms and intricate lead violin lines, somewhat of a cross between The Dixie Dregs, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Boud Deun, KBB, and King Crimson. Heavy and violent stuff indeed!

The closing "Blue" is a bouncy fusion number, with spacey synth melodies, funky bass licks, and Sudakow's searing violin passages.

Chances are the name James Sudakow is going to be much talked about in the prog rock and fusion community shortly after the word of just how good this CD is gets out. Green is a dramatic and exciting collection of instrumental songs that show just how scary a talent this violinist is. I for one would love to see him hook up with a hot guitarist and keyboard player, add in Gaziel and Bissonette, and you would have one of the most lethal fusion machines alive today.

Frighteningly good...

Added: December 28th 2006

Reviewer: Pete Pardo

Score: 4.5 / 5 Stars

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Reviewer: Damon Kellard

Heavy and ambient, mixing together post progressive melodies layered with techno influenced rhythms. The songs are held together by James Sudakow's incredible talent producing sophisticated dynamic with an array of digitally effected violin shredding. The melodies are intelligently drawn out, leaving an unleveled landscape of sound with mountains of melody, and a colorful scenery of effects stretching from distortion, echo and reverb, to phasers and flaggers. James Sudakow is the Steve Vai of violin.

Tr. 2 Purple – Great intro that builds up gradually to a very powerful solo

Tr. 4 Green – Slow and laid back, Green holds a very ambient and easy going melody with fantastic violin work

Tr. 5 Red – Told perfectly with the name alone, Red is the harder track with a great violin hook, describing the feel and mood of that side of the color spectrum

Additional Review by: June Caldwell

James wields an electric violin like Jimi Hendrix did with is guitar...

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PROGRESSIVE EARS - 21st Century Progressive Rock

Added: February 2nd, 2007

Reviewer: FFroyd

I’ve always loved hearing the violin incorporated into rock music. One of my first favorite bands was Kansas and I found out from an early on how beautiful the instrument could be in almost any context. There are quite a few very excellent players in the realm of progressive rock and just recently I was introduced to one more. James Sudakow, from California, has a rather unique style. Classically trained from age 4, he derives his main inspiration not from other violin players but from guitarists. On his web site, James cites his influences are folks like Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Dave Navarro and Vernon Reid. Although, he’s played all over the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas as a member of the bands Jerk Parade and Human Life Index, this is his first venture as a solo artist.

Green is an outstanding recording which I would describe as fusion with heavy doses of experimentation. Joining James for this project are drummer David Gaziel and bassist Matt Bissonette, brother of world-renowned drummer Gregg Bissonette. Also lending a hand with production and programming is Eric Zimmermann. Most tracks have a heavy, plodding feel with the rhythm section providing a very sturdy backbone. There are quite a few electronic elements that come up and at times and in several spots it sounds quite a bit like space rock.

Leading the way is, of course, the electric violin. Sudakow incorporates lots of stylistic enhancements normally reserved for guitarists like heavy distortion, hammer-ons, chunky rhythmic patterns, and it even sounds like he’s playing chords on the violin in several spots. I didn’t know that was possible! He also provides some smoother melodic sections and he can also do some intricate wailing on top of everything else. His playing is just an all-around treat to listen to, especially for violin fans. There’s a good deal of soloing here, as well as a substantial amount of creative and unusual improvisation. Sudakow manages to keep the events as interesting as possible at all times.

So, if you’re like me and have an affinity for violin in progressive rock, I earnestly recommend checking out this CD. James Sudakow is an extremely gifted player and has created a brilliant piece of music here. I haven’t heard anything from his other bands yet but if they are anything like this, they’re probably impressive as well.

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PROGGNOSIS - Progressive Rock & Fusion

Published on: 10 Feb 2007

Reviewed by: MJBrady

Classically trained violinist James Sudakow has paired his training with his list in influential artists to create a little different take on violin fronted instrumental music. His taste for the sound of electric guitar is integrated into a cd full of what I would call hard rock instrumentals. Some of the songs seems almost a little on the new age side, with just a hint of Jean-Luc Ponty, but where Ponty travelled more into the realms of jazz, new age, and classic 70's fusion while featuring line-ups that dazzled fans with their own virtuostic contributions, James Sudakow stays in the front of his band, and is the main showman for the music being presented, and his band plays things fairly safe as a backdrop to James' playing.

His taste for rock music shows in some of the tonal sounds he gets from his violin, raunchy and raw, with some distortion, reminds a little of what Jerry Goodman was doing back in the days of Mahavishnu. As stated, this is a nice cd full of creative violin playing, the songs are fairly straight forward with limited arrangements that appeal to progressive fans, but it does show an artist that is taking some leaps into a musical genre that has a very limited amount of violinists. I for one truly enjoy hearing the tonal aspects of the instrument in rock, or fusion settings, and the scene could use some more talents like James Sudakow creating new music.

If James Sudakow continues in this style of music, I hope he takes a page from the other greats that found musical success having violin fronted music, and that is to find some world class musicians to play with, and let them shine, what violinists like Ponty, Lockwood, Seifert, Urbaniak, Goodman, O'Connor, Sloan, had going for them, is the creative backdrop of equally impressive musicians to not only inspire their own playing, but to compliment every aspect of the music they were creating. James has the talent, and some really nice ideas, I enjoyed some of the moments of this cd more than others, as my first exposure to his music, I was pleasantly impressed to know that there is another up and coming violinist coming up, so from here on out, my ears are wide open to hear what he does next.

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PROGNAUT - Progressive Music Reviews from a Fan's Perspective

Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on February 17th, 2007

I received this really interesting instrumental CD from electric violinist James Sudakow, titled Green. James primarily plays his violin through a Marshall amp to get a distorted effect. He’s joined by David Gaziel (drums), Matt Bissonette (bass), and Eric Zimmermann (producer and programming). The music is comprised of six instrumentals, all named after colors, including the title track, each having a distinctive sound.

The opening track, "Black" is a wild fusion treat, "Purple" has a spacey sound added to the fusiony vibe which kind of reminds me of Mahavishnu meets Tangerine Dream. While "Orange" is a more progressive rock sounding. number, the title track, Green, has a classical feel to it combined again with a Mahavishnu influence. Seems that James is a big fan of Mahavishnu, so much that I believe John McLaughlin would be amazed by James‘ playing.

"Red" is in my opinion the center point of the CD, which being the most complex and heavy of all the songs. The music is somewhere between Mahavishnu Orchestra, KBB, and King Crimson. The closer, "Blue" is a spacey fusion with some funky bass playing.

After listening thoroughly to Green, I feel James Sudakow will be a name on every progressive rock and fusion fan's mind when they think of electric violin. In closing this has been one of the best instrumental CDs I’ve heard in 2006 and I recommend that fans new and old of fusion music, should get their hands on this impressive CD ASAP!

REVIEW FROM LIVE SHOWS

James is one of the most creative and talented musicians in Los Angeles. It's like watching Jimi Hendrix on violin.

Troy Paul Berry

President, The Frequency

Artist Development, Consultation, and Booking

BIO INFORMATION ABOUT JAMES

James Sudakow is a musician with a creative and innovative approach to the electric violin. Classically trained since the age of 4, he has adapted his training to radically alter the instrument’s sound, capabilities, and applications. He uses heavy distortion to play both lead and riff oriented rhythm sections in all of his original progressive rock projects.

His musical influences are not violinists but rather a select group of innovative rock guitarists, specifically Jimi Hendrix, Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), and John McGlaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra). He demonstrates a unique application of the electric violin as heard and seen in both his studio work and high energy live performances.

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