Guitarist Gary Lucas performs the musical equivalent of a high-wire act, lending his brave, innovative guitar work to an eclectic slate of projects that range from Captain Beefheart's final notable albums to collaborations with Leonard Bernstein, Joan Osborne, Nick Cave, and Jeff Buckley. Throughout, Lucas has shown a dogged determination to never repeat himself. Indeed, listening to this rarities collection and de facto retrospective, one can almost hear the musician reinventing himself on each cut. Whether working acoustic or electric guitar, the Yale English Literature grad shows an uncanny ability to conjure and embellish new musical languages, from Beefheart's tortuous "Flavour Bud Living" (recorded live on the Magic Band's final tour) to the smoky Latin fire of the Elli Medeiros-vocalized "Dulce" to a loopy, bluegrass inflected reinvention of the "Astro Boy" theme with Holy Modal Rounder Peter Stampfel. Other standout collaborations feature D.J. Spooky ("Golgotha"), Nick Cave ("And the Ass Saw the Angel"), and Mary Margaret O'Hara ("She Was Showing Me"). Lucas's own songs are generously represented as well, including a David Johansen-sung rendition of his collaboration with Osborne, "Spider Web." Fully half the cuts here were recorded live, an environment in which Lucas's invention and luminous drive truly come into their own. --Jerry McCulley
Improve the Shining Hour,Gary Lucas,Knitting Factory,Alternative Pop/Rock,Experimental Rock,Jazz,Pop,Rock
Jazz Music:
- In Walked Pierre
- Interactions [Import]
- It Is What It Is
- Jazz in Paris: Swing 48 [Original recording remastered]
- Jazztet
- King of Rhythm Session
- L' Affrontement des Prétendants
- Live at the Glen Island Casino [Live]
- Live at the Sahara in Las Vegas [Import]
- Live on the Old Grey Whistle Test [Live]
Jazz Music
The Complete RCA-Victor Mid-Forties Recordings (1944-1946) [Box set]