John Wilcox Progsheet review The Next World 5/11/12

 http://progsheet1.hypermart.net/cdrz.html

Stratospheerius – The Next World… (Fiddlefunk Music)

Take violinist / vocalist Joe Deninzon, add guitarist Aurelien Budynek, bassist Jamie Bishop, and drummer Lucianna Padmore and you get the genre-busting quartet Stratospheerius. One moment you get a Police vibe; another song might fit in with that gonzo Tubes feel; the next some Jeff Beck-ish; yet another would be at home in the Zappa family. Sometimes all at once. The one common factor is that every number is full of invention and feels alive.

The biggest jump since the last Stratospheerius album is the depth and maturity Deninzon’s voice has gained. His vocal on The House Always Wins is playful and a bit of a tease. On Gods it’s got an urgent edge. Earthy and open on Climbing. As for the playing, every member plays with passion and invention. Budynek is tight and bright in rhythm mode and soars when the song calls for it. Bishop, who prog fans might recall from stints with the Syn and with Francis Dunnery, is a flat out low end monster and perfectly matched with the fiery Padmore. She is that drummer every musician wants in their ensemble: a player that can blow your mind one moment, then tenderly hold your hand the next. As for Deninzon – the sounds he gets out of that violin are inhuman. His speed, precision, color, and character are just off the charts!

Not a bum song to be found here. Today Ballad For Ding Bang, the Morse-era Spock’s Beard-ish One Foot In The Next World, The House Always Wins, and Tech Support win the highlight honors. If you dig funk/prog/rock/jazz/jam/fusion/pretty-much-everything-but-opera – it’s all right here. The Next World… is a disc you’ll never get tired of spinning! Much love to dear departed Stratospheerian Bob Bowen who also provided the cover art.

http://progressiverockcentral.com/2012/05/04/a-superbly-gifted-violinist/

A Superbly Gifted Violinist

 

Stratospheerius – The Next World

Stratospheerius 

The Next World (Digital Nations, 2012)

A leading candidate for best rock album of 2012 is the deliciously addictive album The Next World by Stratospheerius. The wide-ranging New York-based band is the brainchild of electric violin sensation Joe Deninzon.

Stratospheerius displays violin virtuoso, mandolinist and vocalist Joe Deninzon at his prime, accompanied by three outstanding musicians: Lucianna Padmore on drums, Aurelien Budynek on guitar and vocals, and Jamie Bishop on bass and vocals.

The Next World mixes state of the art progressive rock, jazz fusion, Dave Matthews Band-style jam band rock, contemporary bluegrass, cutting edge electronica, blues, folk-rock vocals harmonies, and even Balkan Gypsy music. Joe Deninzon’s dazzling violin solos, creative loops and effects are clearly spectacular and demonstrate that is one of the most talented instrumentalists in the current rock scene.

The Next World is dedicated to the late Bob Bowen, the bassist in both Stratospheerius and the Joe Deninzon Trio. Bob was killed in a bicycle accident in Manhattan (New York) in 2010. Bob’s bass appears on the track “The House Always Wins.” Bob Bowen also created the cover artwork for the album.

The Next World combines solid songwriting and tradition with extraordinary electric violin work and the sounds of the future.

Electrify Your Violin

Plug In, Rock Out, and Expand Your Horizons!

by Joe Deninzon

A few years ago, I was asked to teach intermediate violin and beginning improvisation in the continuing education department at the New School University in New York City.

Many of the adults who came to my classes had played violin in a high school orchestra, gave it up in college as they entered their various fields, and wanted to return to the instrument and make it a part of their lives once again. Oftentimes, folks told me that, as much as they love classical music, their interests range from jazz to folk, rock, R&B, and hip-hop, and they wanted to play the music they love.

Until recently, the education system for young string players has given little attention to fostering creativity and teaching improvisation. Though the timeless beauty of the music of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and Stravinsky must be taught to every generation, I believe part of the reason so many young people quit playing, is because they don’t see the connection between their violin, viola, or cello and the music that is on their iPods. As a musical clinician in high schools, I see the faces of kids light up when they realize they can play any style of music on their instrument, be it hip-hop or heavy metal. This inspires them to keep playing and can even bring them back full circle to classical music, which is the foundation.

I see this same spark in adults that I have taught. If playing the violin, viola, or cello is part of your life, you may already play in a chamber group or community orchestra, but there are many avenues to explore that can inspire you, and you don’t have to live in a big city to take advantage of them.

Here are a few things you can do as a string player to expand your musical horizons:

1) Take some lessons on improvisation. I grew up in Cleveland at a time when there were no jazz violin teachers in town, but I didn’t let that stop me. Even if you live in a small town, you can find a guitarist, sax player, or pianist to teach you some basic things that you can apply to any instrument. If you just learn the pentatonic scale, blues scale, and the form of the blues, you can already wail over a wide variety of music. The blues is the foundation to 90% of popular Western music, and a major building block if your goal is to play jazz, bluegrass, or rock.

2) Play as much as you can. Conquer your fear by going to jam sessions around town. Try out some of the things you learn in your improv lesson, and accept the fact that you may not sound good right away. Just keep doing it! Get together with friends who play different instruments, throw a big party, jam and learn together.

3) Go electric. Playing violin through a microphone to be heard over a loud band just doesn’t cut it. Invest in a pickup or transducer. Companies like LR Baggs and Fishman manufacture inexpensive bridges that act as magnetic pickups connected to a quarter-inch cable jack, which is easily installed on an instrument, enabling it to connect to an amplifier or a PA system. There are also transducers, such as The Realist, which simply clip onto your bridge.

4) Buy electric. If you want to buy an instrument dedicated strictly to playing in an amplified setting, you need to get a solid body electric. These violins, cellos, and violas come in a wide variety of designs since the shape does not affect the sound of the instrument. They look incredible on stage! Manufacturers make four, five, six, and seven string electric violins. Having extra strings is great because you can write a string quartet and hear all four parts, or play low power chords in a rock band. Visit www.electricviolinshop.com to see some of the designs.

5) Invest in an amp. In the electric world, a good amplifier is a crucial part of your sound. Once you have electrified your instrument, go to any music store and spend an afternoon trying out every amp you can. I usually prefer guitar or bass amps for my violin, but don’t rule anything out and trust your ears.

6) Explore the world of effects pedals. The variety of pedals that exist will make your head spin. Multi-effects processors have hundreds of different sounds programmed into one device. It is a great way to introduce yourself to delay, wah, distortion—all the sounds that guitar players have used for years that many string players are now discovering for the first time.

7) Once you gain confidence, find a local band and see if they would like to add a violin, viola, or cello. So many bands in rock, pop, and hip hop are using strings that it’s becoming as common as seeing a guitar on the bandstand. DJs may invite electric violinists to accompany them at clubs.

Joe Deninzon (www.joedeninzon.com) is a violinist based in New York City who leads the band Stratospheerius, plays in the Sweet Plantain String Quartet, and has worked with artists like Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Aretha Franklin, Ritchie Blackmore, and Phoebe Snow.

Have you ever been to electric violin land? A master of four-string wonder crystallizes his vision

Over the five years that have passed since Joe Deninzon carved a personal niche in the rock domain with his band’s debut, “Headspace”, he made forays into jazz territory with a trio of his own on the instrumental covers collection which is “Exuberance”, but it’s in STRATOSPHEERIUS that the violinist holds the richest palette to take colors from. And this time he goes for a big picture, even though tango “The House Always Wins” and punky yelp of “Tech Support” might throw things to the humorous side to dissolve the wah-wah-adorned cerebral swipe of “The Missing Link” or the heavy “Gods” idiosyncrasy and, thus, blur the intent.

So while “Release” opens the lookout in quite pathetic manner, planting a folk dance onto proggy stem – a trick that works miracles in the vocal-free rave “Fleshbot” – when the full view comes into focus with the guitar-and-fiddle rage of “Climbing” a fabulous vibe goes down the listener’s spine. Ignited by Aurelien Budynek’s axe, “Road Rage”, the most classically-burdened piece on offer and at the same time the sharpest, marries its riff-fest to Balkan swirl, whereas “One Foot In The Next World” thrives on its fusion sensibilities, but “The Prism” is where the Eastern-hued vibe turns triumphal and the purest release reveals itself. After that, another five years would make a cruel wait.

****2/3

Perhaps despite themselves, Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius are proving the sub-genre of ’70s progressive rock is very much alive and well in 2012. While Stratospheerius describes itself as a “psychojazz trip funk” band, The Next World is squarely in the linage of works from bands like Yes, King Crimson, and Genesis, along with nods to jazz/rock fusion. While Deninzon doesn’t claim any of these groups as influences, citing instead musicians likeFrank Zappa and Jean-Luc Ponty, The Next World seems grounded in the conventions of progressive rock, which gives Stratospheerius the ideal format to showcase their musicianship and songwriting abilities.

For example, one trend in old school prog rock was the tendency to feature lead singers with high-register tenor voices. That’s certainly true of Russian-born bandleader Deninzon. But few other frontmen also excel as masters of the electric violin. A high-flying rock band also usually requires a guitarist capable of both soaring leads and inventive and energetic chord support. For the current incarnation of the group, French fretman Aurelien Budynek does just that. In prog rock, the ensembles are normally built on the tight performances of a rhythm section capable of unusual time signatures and quick tempo changes. Bassist Jamie Bishop and drummer Lucianna Padmore fit that bill to a T.

Their The Next World album opens with the jubilant “Release,” which is about letting go of old restrictions. Tricky time signatures and interwoven vocal lines mark “The Missing Link,” showcasing an extremely psychedelic guitar solo from Budynek. The entire band becomes hopped-up speed demons on “Tech Support,” with appropriate electronic sounds to deliver the message that the singers need that elusive technical support and, “You’re my last resort.”

Offering different moods and approaches, Stratospheerius goes Appalachian on “Climbing,” which erupts into King Crimsonesque rising and falling scales, reflecting the lyrics by a singer who is “still climbing” while he ages and is “looking over my shoulder.” Crashing gongs punctuate the fusion-jazz of “Fleshbot,” which might have fit on  Wired if Jeff Beck had been a fiddle master with a streak of humor.

Speaking of humor, “The House Always Wins” goes even further back in time for influences, with a bouncy, swingin’ tribute to the breed of blues you might expect in a MGM musical-that is, if violinists had been plugged in back in the day. (The bassist for this track is former band member Bob Bowen. The album is dedicated to his memory, as he died in a bicycle accident in 2010.)

The variety of styles continue to range from the rough-edged “Gods,” in which “the more the pain, the more gods we need,” to the gentle instrumental, “Ballad for Ding Bang.” After the rock jam of “Road Rage,” we get one song seemingly deliberately crafted for radio airplay, the poppy “One Foot in the Next World.” The song from which the album drew its title has the listener part in the next world, part in this life, and one part twisting the knife. To close off the album, why not add a touch of ELO-style exuberance in “The Prism”? It’s a dramatic echo of “Release” with lyrics calling for the audience to break free from what imprisons us.

Some of the publicity for The Next World might suggest the album is a Deninzon project with Stratospheerius essentially his backing band. That’s far from the case. The album does have ample samplings of Deninzon’s accomplished violin work, but Budynek’s guitars are on display in equal measure. None of the “jams” sound like spontaneous improvisations, but are rather tightly crafted studio pieces including intricately produced vocal articulations, electronic effects, and multi-tracked instrumentation. Most of the songs are five minutes or less, meaning there are few opportunities for extended demonstrations of virtuosity. It’s an album with bright, vibrant tones from four players who aren’t competing, but rather congealing.
For this release, you’re not likely to think Zappa or
Mahavishnu Orchestra, but rather Trevor Rabin, Jon Anderson, or perhaps Robert Fripp. In the end, The Next World is an album for fellow musicians to appreciate and prog rock fans to enjoy.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Music-Review-Joe-Deninzon-Stratospheerius-3477902.php#ixzz1sztkOPxe

The JOE DENINZON TRIO takes an interesting look at the term “standard” on their “Exuberance” (joedeninzon.com). Along with a number of original jazz compositions by the trio – Joe’s nine-string violin accompanied by Steve Benson on guitar and the recently late Bob Bowen on bass – they take music from the near and relatively far past, and put it through a progressive jazz filter. Sure, one might expect it of tunes like Fat’s Waller’s “Jitterbug (Used To Be A)” or even Chopin’s “Nocturne in Eb Op. 9 No. 2,” but they move it significantly further with Steely Dan’s “Bodhissatva,” Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Linemen” (perhaps the one piece that strains the most), Alice in Chains’ “Heaven Beside You,” and even Radiohead’s “The Tourist.” And these guys make it all work so you may not even realize that this isn’t the original genre for those tunes. The one vocal is by guest Luba, whose silky smooth voice slides comfortably over an original, “Sun Goes Down.” Over an hour of cool jazz.

Joe Deninzon Trio: Exuberance

Even listeners familiar with progressive seven-string violinist Joe Deninzon might be surprised when the first two tracks from Exuberance — the latest album to feature his instrumental trio — spill out of their speakers. Steely Dan’s “Bodhisattva” and Alice In Chain’s “Heaven Beside You” subtly echo the originals, but Deninzon, bassist Bob Bowen and guitarist Steve Benson make them their own by embracing the musical nuances of both songs. Sans vocals, these pieces give off pleasures both new and odd. On the other hand, the trio underwhelms with its low-key take on “Wichita Lineman” (which remains a beautiful song, regardless of who performs it and how). There also are covers of “Nuages” by the trio’s major influence Django Reinhardt, as well “The Tourist” by Radiohead and Chopin’s “Nocturne in Eb Op. 9 No. 2.”

Several originals stack up well next to the other artists’ material, with Deninzon’s electric violin dominating, especially on “Surreptitious Soliloquy” and the kinda-sorta title track “Exuberance, in the Face of Utter Anguish and Despair.” “Sun Goes Down,” the album’s only vocal piece, featuring Luba’s singing, was included in the indie film What’s Up, Scarlet? and wouldn’t sound out of a place in a smoky nightclub around 1 a.m.

Exuberance was recorded with all three musicians in one room, playing live with no overdubs or fancy production. You can’t really hear the rawness over the professionalism, but you know it’s there. Sometimes sparse, but always engaging, these 13 songs should please long-time fans of the trio and Deninzon’s rock band Stratospheerius, as well as newcomers.

Track Listing:
1) Bodhisattva
2) Heaven Beside You
3) Nuages
4) Exuberance, the Face of Utter Anguish and Despair
5) Ellipsis
6) Night Coast
7) Sun Goes Down
Surreptitious Soliloquy
9) Wichita Lineman
10) The Last Days of Scorpio
11) Chopin Nocturne in Eb Op. 9 No. 2
12) Jitterbug (Used to be a) Waltz
13) The Tourist

Stratospheerius reaches for the clouds with atmospheric mix ofblues, funk, rock and more

By Steve Wildsmith

It’s difficult to say what sort of music, if any, Joe Deninzon would be playing had the Russian native’s family stayed in St. Petersburg, but one thing’s almost a certainty — it wouldn’t be the funk-blues-rock-classical concoction he does today as founder of the band Stratospheerius.

Deninzon’s family emigrated to the United States in 1979, he told The Daily Times during a recent phone interview, to escape discrimination toward Jews. He was 4 when they came to America.

“My dad wanted to leave there, wanted a better life for his kids,” Deninzon said. “We moved to Cleveland, and almost immediately my dad – who also plays violin – got a job with the Cleveland Orchestra.”

It was a given that Deninzon would wind up with a violin in his hand, given that both of his parents were classical musicians. When he was 6, his father gave him one and he began to learn to play … but American culture began to work its magic on the youngster, and listening to the radio, he fell in love with rock ‘n’ roll and, later, jazz.

“All of the sudden, violin wasn’t cool anymore,” Deninzon said. “I took up guitar and bass while still studying violin in my ‘other’ life. I took a big journey and came back to the violin.”

Two things occurred that helped change his mind. One was musician Michael Stanley, a name unfamiliar to most outside of Cleveland but something of a hometown hero to music fans there. He would consistently sell out arenas in his hometown, and his twin daughters attended school with Deninzon.

“He heard me play at one of our high school concerts, and at 16 he invited me to play with his band,” Deninzon said. “I knew the notes and the music, because I could do it on the guitar, so I just translated it to the violin. And I got a great response and some media attention from that concert.”

The second was a recording given to him by his father by the legendary Gypsy-jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli. That led to his discovery of other eclectic and groundbreaking artists, and suddenly the violin didn’t seem like such a stodgy instrument.

“Hearing some of those guys really opened my mind that you could do a lot of cool stuff on the instrument,” he said. “That was in the early 1990s, while I was still in high school, and I thought I could pave my own way with it. There were a lot of great guitar players, and I was a decent guitar player, but I wanted to stand out and do something unique.

“There was a certain sound I heard in my head that nobody else was producing, and I wanted to make it happen. It just took a few years to figure out what I wanted to play.”

He started with the rock ‘n’ roll influences with which he first fell in love on American radio — bands like Led Zeppelin, with its roots in the blues, and Yes, one of the progenitors of progressive rock. Over time, he added in the greasy funk-blues of Frank Zappa, the jazz of Miles Davis and even classical flourishes by such composers as Stravinsky and Mahler — all filtered through his violin.

“I sort of take elements from genres that I like and put them into my music while avoiding elements I don’t,” he said. “There are certain elements of the jam band scene that I love, but a lot of times there’s just aimless noodling going on. I’m a big fan of progressive rock, and I like a lot of elements of that music, but there are some elements that I don’t like.”

Eventually, he began putting together a band that would become Stratospheerius, seeking out like-minded players who thrived on a multitude of influences and genres. Combining jam, fusion, rock, progressive, jazz, metal and more, the band sounds like a condensed version of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, with vocals added. The New York-based outfit has opened for Tim Reynolds, Mickey Hart, The Slip and John Scofield, among others, and was a winner in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition.

The band’s most recent album, “Headspace,” takes all of those elements and adds even more – Middle Eastern soundscapes, singer-songwriter virtuosity and a balance between the music and the vocals that’s drawn praise from critics. Next week (on Thursday, June 16), Stratospheerius will make its East Tennessee debut in downtown Maryville, a “warm-up” for the band’s showcase the following night at Chattanooga’s annual Riverbend Festival, where the group has always enjoyed a warm reception, Deninzon said.

“Performing is one of my favorite things to do in life,” he said. “I love to be in front of the audience, and I love being spontaneous. You’ll never hear a song we do performed the same way twice. From a performance standpoint, I’m really inspired by Bruce Springsteen. I love the way he pours his whole physical being into his performances.

“We’ll record a song one way, and it’ll take on a life of its own as we perform and tour with it. And it seems to go over really well with all kinds of audiences. It’s funny, because I’m not into labels – all of the sudden that puts you in a cage, and people think of you as only one thing. If any sort of audience appreciates our music, then I’m down with it and fine with it.”

Exuberance

by Sean Quigley

Heavily unorthodox and acclaimed Russian-born fusion violinist Joe Deninzon, best known for his jazzy trip funk jam band Stratospheerius and his 1997 solo album Electric Blue has returned with a talented trio and a new album entitled Exuberance.

Exuberance not only features a load of creative, enjoyable original songs from Deninzon and his trio but also an incredibly eclectic collection of covers. From the likes of Alice in Chains and Radiohead to Steely Dan and Glenn Campbell and further on to such performers as Django Reinhardt, Fats Waller and Frederick Chopin, Deninzon has it all covered.

With much anticipation I listened to Exuberance and within a second or two into the opening title track I began to sulk thinking I was in store for another stale violin album which would put me to sleep. But I certainly caught my tongue a few seconds later as the song picked up. Blues drenched Bass, wild yet stylish and refined violin and acoustic guitar which switched back and fourth from solid and generic to creepy, scratchy, psychedelic and undeniably cool.

Exuberance is drenched with such style. With respect for the classics and a daring avant-garde boldness Joe Deninzon’s endeavor is certainly a success. Some of their songs such as “Sun Goes Down” which features the singing talents of Canadian vocalist Luba seem almost tailor made for those lost around the poolside martini bar alone late at night as other songs such as “Surreptitious Soliloquy” sound like it was made some place where both Frank Sinatra and Frank Zappa find common ground. Both Primus or Palao could respect the talents of The Joe Deninzon Trio which to me is their greatest appeal.

Would I drive around blasting Exuberance? Probably not. Still I found this album to be truly excellent. Indeed a perfect choice for entertaining if one wishes to break free from the dreadful blandness of “Soundscapes”.

I recommend this album to anybody interested in the mastery of music as well as classical, jazz and alternative rock fans. Deninzon is only doing good for music. Breaking down barriers, opening minds, and carving a respectable niche for himself. Joe Deninzon is sure to soon be on every music snob’s list of notable artists, I can guarantee it.

Reviewer Rating:  4.00 Stars