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Bruce Hornsby: Bride of the Noisemakers

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: 429 Records
Released: 2011.06.07
Time:
 79:15 / 78:22
Category: Jam-Rock
Producer(s): Wayne Pooley, Bruce Hornsby
Rating:
Media type: 2xCD
Web address: www.brucehornsby.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2015
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


Disc one

[1] Cyclone (Robert Hunter, Hornsby) - 5:40
[2] Country Doctor (Hormsby) - 7:59
[3] Funhouse (Hormsby) - 7:45
[4] This Too Shall Pass (Hormsby) - 5:03
[5] Circus on the Moon (Hormsby) - 7:09
[6] Defenders of the Flag (John Hornsby, Bruce Hornsby) - 5:03
[7] Intro / Variation (excerpt II)/Catenaires (excerpt) (Bobby Read/Anton Webern/Elliot Carter) - 2:04
[8] Talk of the Town/Charlie, Woody 'n' You (Hornsby/Charles Ives, Hornsby) - 6:17
[9] What the Hell Happened (Hormsby) - 3:38
[10] Fortunate Son/Comfortably Numb (Hornsby/Roger Waters, David Gilmour) - 10:20
[11] Levitate (Thomas Newman, Hornsby) - 4:58
[12] Little Sadie/White Wheeled Limousine/Just One More (Trad/Hornsby/George Jones) - 13:08


Disc two

[1] The Wind Up/Big Rock Candy Mountain/Candy Mountain Run (Keith Jarrett/Trad/Hornsby) - 7:36
[2] Line in the Dust (Hormsby) - 5:43
[3] Shadow Hand (Hormsby) - 4:16
[4] Tango King (Hormsby) - 7:11
[5] Resting Place (Hormsby) - 10:16
[6] Michael Raphael (Chip deMatteo, Hornsby) - 3:36
[7] Sonata, Movement IV (excerpt) (Samuel Barber) - 2:18
[8] Gonna Be Some Changes Made (Hormsby) - 5:48
[9] Dreamland (Hormsby) - 8:22
[10] The Good Life (Hormsby) - 4:26
[11] Cartoons & Candy (Hormsby) - 2:54
[12] Swan Song (Hormsby) - 6:42
[13] Standing on the Moon/Halcyon Days (Garcia, Hunter/Hornsby) - 8:55

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Bruce Hornsby - Piano, Accordion, Dulcimer, Lead Vocals

John "J.T." Thomas - Organ, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Bobby Read - Saxophones, Bass Clarinet, Backing Vocals
Jv Collier - Bass Guitar
Doug Derryberry - Electric And Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Backing Vocals
Sonny Emory - Drums
R.S. Hornsby - Guitar on [2:13]

Wayne Pooley - Mixing, Producer, Road Crew
Randy Merrill - Mastering
Katherine Fisher - Photography
Pat Martin - Cover Photo
Sean Smith - Photography
Carey Wilhelm - Photography
Dan Weiner - Booking
Marc Allan - Management
Reggie Bankston - Road Crew
Peter Banta - Road Crew
Vic Goel - Road Crew
Caldwell Gray - Road Crew
Jeremaine Israel - Road Crew
Mo Jackson - Road Crew
Charles Keith - Road Crew

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Bride of the Noisemakers is the fifth album—and second live album—by Bruce Hornsby with his touring band the Noisemakers. The double album, released in 2011, consists of 25 songs recorded between 2007 and 2009.



Recorded between 2007-2009, Bride Of The Noisemakers is Bruce Hornsby's masterpiece from the road. Regarded as one of the most dynamic live performers in rock, Bruce makes even the most intricate compositions sound effortless. Bride Of The Noisemakers is a massive 25-track collection, specially priced for the fans and includes songs from Bruce's critically-acclaimed catalog.

429records. com



If any listeners still consider Bruce Hornsby a clean-cut heartland rocker, Bride of the Noisemakers should set them straight. A double-disc, 25-track collection of live performances recorded between 2007-2009 with his latter-day band the Noisemakers, Bride of the Noisemakers contains none of his hits -- but none of his fans expect that from him at this point anyway. What they do expect is a winding, unpredictable amalgam of pop, jazz, classical, rock, and a hint of country filtered through a sensibility learned from the Grateful Dead, even if Hornsby never exactly sounds like the Dead. Nevertheless, the Noisemakers retain a similar spirit of adventure, of having melodies and interludes seamlessly shift, of having time turn elastic, and while that sense of freedom may not quite click with those listeners who long for a return of the Range, this is possibly the best immersive introduction to the quirks of Hornsby & the Noisemakers.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine - All Music Guide



“Frankly, what I’m looking to do is entertain the band. We’re all grizzled vets of many gigs … Having to play the songs straight is a real prison for me.”

That’s what piano-player/songwriter Bruce Hornsby recently told blogcritics.org when asked about playing live, a practice he knows all to well. It’s an exercise he’s become lauded for, and it’s something the musician spends more time doing than anything else, including sitting alone in a dark studio. It’s also what paints his band’s latest offering, Bride of the Noisemakers, a double-disc compilation of some of the best performances his group compiled between 2007 and 2009 while on the road.

Hornsby, himself, has had a curious career. Why in God’s name “jazz” comes up whenever you import his CDs into iTunes is a disservice to both the genre and the musician. He’s made a career out of doing his best to not be lumped into one single category. Sure, there’s a little jazz. But yes, there’s also a little soul. A little bluegrass. Maybe even a little rhythm & blues.

All of those elements combine in full force on Bride of the Noisemakers to provide an end product that’s nothing short of impressive. Forget your preconceived notions, or the fact that there’s a good chance you could mistake one of his songs for something you heard on the Weather Channel. Hornsby is simply a good player. And fortunately for listeners and music fans alike, the band he has assembled around him is positively filled with even better masters of their own particular crafts.

That’s proven with how this collection begins. An inspiring take on “Cyclone” is a fine piece of pop music turned interesting with the way Hornsby’s Noisemakers allow the performance to climax at an uproar of glorious aptitude. Guitarist Doug Derryberry rips through an impressive solo as Sonny Emory’s drums provide a thunderous backdrop that fits perfectly behind the rest of the band’s performance.

And all of that is followed immediately by “Country Doctor” and “Funhouse”, two groovy numbers that promise to keep any listener on his or her toes. The former is a nearly-eight-minute romp that showcases Hornsby’s knack for pop vocals, while the latter swings its way through a dusty bar that seems to be painted in black and white. Both tracks exemplify the high level diversity and (pardon me) range that both the songwriter and his musician friends display consistently throughout all of both discs.

The only real issue with Bride of the Noisemakers is the one problem some may already have with Hornsby to begin with, and that’s his ability to mellow out and vaguely seem redundant at times. Lead single “Shadow Hand” isn’t a bad song by any stretch of the imagination, though its detachment from what are otherwise often smokin’ performances of more intricate songs seems somewhat out of place. Sure, it’s nice to hear the often beautiful sounds of a dulcimer. And yes, a break in the action is needed through any collection of live music. But the performance simply seems boring. It’s a move unnecessary, regardless of how diverse a musician Hornsby is.

Other disappointments come from the second disc’s final track, “Standing on the Moon/Halcyon Days”, a ballad medley that again opts against the fire and chops a lot of the other tracks here provide. It’s no secret that the singer has written his fair share of ballads, but when put up against the quirky, off-time “Tango King” or the dark and funky “Levitate”, the balladry just becomes an annoying bridge to other more interesting and inviting performances.

But those missteps are OK when considered amongst the set as a whole. All told, what separates Bruce Hornsby from most—if not all—of the other singers/songwriters/piano-players is the fact that he knows how to make things seem fresh. Hell, even his straight-as-an-arrow take on Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” is entertaining in its own right, if for nothing else because the descent into it is somewhat unexpected. The dude can play, and he knows how to pick people who know how to play equally as well. Bride of the Noisemakers is, if nothing else, a great platform for those elements to shine.

“I don’t want there to be much sucking going on,” Hornsby said in the same article when asked what he was looking for when compiling the recordings that appear on this album. Well, no matter if you agree with the selection (“Talk of the Town” is great, but “Harbor Lights” would have been better), feel he’s a one-trick pony, or “just can’t stand listening to that piano guy play the same thing all the time” (as someone recently told me), at least one thing is for certain: There is no sucking going on here.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Colin McGuire - 8 June 2011
© 1999-2015 Popmatters.com



Before catching singer-pianist-popper Bruce Hornsby at a solo show at Rose State a few years ago, I had a pretty good idea of what he sounded like and what his style was. Admittedly, I had not followed his career very closely since he was jamming with Jerry Garcia in the early 90’s, at the end of his days with The Range. Still, he had some killer jazz chops, a great turn of phrase at the ready and socially-conscious lyrics that reflected his days as a kid in racially segregated Virginia and its legacy as featured in his 1986 pop radio hit “The Way It Is.”

But what really struck me about Hornsby was his weird sense of humor. At the time he said he was working on some odd play involving a creep driving around. I know, weird. Just listen to his lyrics – closely – and there are some naughty things taking place. Not on all of them, just a few choice tracks.

Anyway, what we have in Bride of The Noisemakers is a solid collection of Hornsby standards – 25 songs on two discs – recorded with his five other “Noisemakers” between 2007 and 2009, at the end of which a studio album, Levitate, was released. There is no aforementioned “The Way It Is” or “Mandolin Rain” or “The Valley Road.” This is more jam oriented, I would expect, due to his stint playing with the Grateful Dead. Improvisational noodlings were their bread and butter, as it is with Hornsby. In fact, disc two closes out with a cover of the beautiful Dead ballad “Standing On the Moon” which segues into his song “Halcyon Days.”

But that’s just a small portion of what we get here. “Country Doctor” has Hornsby tickling the keys in a seemingly effortless way as JV Collier’s bass burbles beneath.

“Talk of the Town,” a jazzy pop number from his ’93 album Harbor Lights, shows Hornsby in a playful mood as he merges into “Charlie, Woody, N’ You.”

Hornsby’s soulful side comes out on the humorous “What the Hell Happened,” while a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” merges with his own “Fortunate Son” quite nicely.

From his days with The Range comes the ’88 track “Defenders of the Flag.” With Hornsby on accordion and some smokin’ sax from Bobby Read, there is a Heartland rock vibe at work here with Hornsby’s poke at small-town hypocrisy.

Side two is rife with jams aplenty. “The Wind Up / Big Rock Candy Mountain / Candy Mountain Run” kick things off in a big way. “Tango King” has a brassy, sassy power while the duclimer of “Shadow Hand” offers a rootsier, folk side of Hornsby.

Over the past 25 years that the pop music world has been familiar with Hornsby, it is interesting to hear a slight smokiness to Hornsby’s voice. Age and constant touring can take a toll but in Hornsby’s case it seems to have enhanced the heft to his delivery.

Bride of The Noisemakers shows off the professional skills of one of the best touring bands around – a mix of jazz, pop, soul and classical and a sampling of his ample catalogue. I hope next time Hornsby comes to town, he has some Noisemakers in tow.

Andrew W. Griffin - August 2, 2011
reddirtreport.com



Nein, so richtig begeistert sieht das frisch vermählte Paar auf dem Cover nicht aus. Dem schicken Anzugträger ist die Braut vielleicht doch ein wenig zu haarig... Das ist also die "Bride Of The Noisemakers" - die Braut der Krachmacher? Och nöö, da bleib' ich doch lieber Single!

Selten so ein witziges Cover gesehen. Hier posieren Keyboarder John 'JT' Thomas als liebreizende Damenwäscheträgerin und Bassist JV Collier als Fliege auf Brautschau...

Ich erinnere mich nur zu gerne an meine erste Begegnung mit Bruce Hornsby: Es war 1986, als ich im Radio - jawohl, damals wurde tagsüber noch richtige Rockmusik in den Äther geschickt - "The Way It Is" erstmals hörte. Die Nummer war (und ist) ein Hammer! Als ich die dazugehörende, später mit einem Grammy dekorierte LP kaufte, war überraschenderweise festzustellen, dass ausgerechnet zwei hochgeschätzte Musiker der kurz zuvor aufgelösten US-amerikanischen Prog-Band Ambrosia - Joe Puerta (bass) und John Molo (drums) - Hornsbys Begleitband The Range bildeten. Mit ein Grund, warum ich dieser Formation nach wie vor etwas nachtrauere...

"Every Little Kiss", "Mandolin Rain", "Look Out Any Window", "Across The River" - die umwerfenden Singles reihten sich ebenso wie an einer Perlenkette auf, wie die glänzenden Alben "Scenes From The Southside" (1988), "Night On Town" (1990) und "Harbour Lights" (1993). Dies alles wohlgemerkt zu einer Zeit, als die Rockmusik ein kreatives 'Tal der Tränen' durchschritt!

Mit "Harbour Lights" versuchte es Bruce Hornsby erstmals ohne The Range. Von Fans wie Kritik wurde die Scheibe bestens goutiert und auch in Musikerkreisen waren fortan seine Fähigkeiten als ebenso exzellenter Pianist wie Songwriter hoch gefragt. Projekte mit Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley, Huey Lewis und Pat Metheny sorgten für viel Aufsehen und zwei weitere Grammies.

Ende der Neunziger formierte Hornsby die Folgeband für The Range, die er witzigerweise The Noisemakers taufte. 'Krachmacher' - welch selbstironisches Understatement für die musikalischen Hochgenüsse, die uns diese Formation immer wieder aufs Neue beschert.

Mit "Bride Of The Noisemakers" liegt uns nun eine Retrospektive auf die besten Live-Aufnahmen der Noisemakers aus den Jahren 2007 bis 2009 vor. Ein winzig kleiner Schönheitsfehler ist, dass man im Booklet nicht erwähnt, wo die jeweiligen Aufnahmen getätigt wurden. So mancher Fan mag auch die fehlenden Single-Hits, auf die man natürlich wartet, vermissen. Allerdings kann man da Entwarnung geben: Das Song-Portfolio des Barden aus Williamsburg/Virginia ist dermaßen breit gefächert und von einer ausgesuchten Qualität, dass dieses kleine Manko nicht ins Gewicht fällt.

Die Soundqualität ist superb und hart an der Grenze der Perfektion, wie das bei solchen Ausnahmemusikern vorausgesetzt werden darf. Die Ausstattung des Silberlings ist okay, harte Fans sind halt immer schwer zufrieden zu stellen...

Bruce Hornsby inszeniert mit seinen Noisemakers einen nahezu orchestral dichten Klangteppich. Hier steuert sein 'Widerpart' an den Tasten, John 'JT' Thomas, seinen ganz gewichtigen Teil bei. Während der Bandleader, dem man seine klassische Ausbildung stets anmerkt, sich wie gewohnt auf seinen Steinway-Flügel konzentriert, sorgt 'Die bärtige Braut' für die breiten Strukturen. Besonders schön sind (immer wieder) die Momente, wenn Hornsby zum Akkordeon oder Appalachian Dulcimer greift.

Die Band agiert mit einer unglaublichen Spielfreude und inszeniert wahrhaft progressiven, amerikanischen Rock in höchster Vollendung (bitte nicht mit Prog Rock übersetzen!): Eine Mixtur aus Rock, Jam Rock, R&B und Jazz mit Verve und vielen Freiräumen für Improvisationen vorgetragen. Reaktionen des Publikums in Form von Gelächter aus den ersten Reihen zeugt davon, dass der Meister zudem ein glänzender Entertainer ist und gut gelaunt so manche Posse reißt.

Am stärksten 'kommen' die Aufnahmen, bei denen Hornsby die ganz großen Bögen zieht und mehrere Songs miteinander verwoben hat. Hier kann locker die Zehn-Minuten-Marke erreicht werden, verbunden mit extrem abwechslungsreichen Arrangements.

Nebenbei bemerkt, fällt es zu keinem Zeitpunkt unangenehm auf, dass kein komplettes Konzert geboten, also zwischen den Songs immer wieder ausgeblendet wird.

Kommen wir zu den Anspieltipps: Eigentlich ist das Songmaterial von einer solchen Dichte, dass man einzelne Songs kaum hervorheben kann - so soll es bei der Nennung der 'Ersten unter Gleichen' bleiben. Hier muss natürlich zuvorderst das 'Groove-Monster' "Country Doctor" genannt werden. Beim jazzigen "Talk Of The Town/Charlie, Woody, N' You" weiß der Meister mit seinen virtuosen Pianokünsten zu glänzen. Wunderschön ist auch, wie die Ballade "Fortunate Son" mit dem Floyd'schen Klassiker "Comfortably Numb" verknüpft wird. Bei "The Wind Up/Big Rock Candy Mountain/Candy Mountain Run" wird Doug Derryberry (guitar) von der Leine gelassen, während die Noisemakers einen ekstatischen 'Teppich' darunter legen. "Resting Place" lässt allen beteiligten Musikern den 'jammigen' Freiraum, sich solistisch zu entfalten... und... und... und...

Eine ganz dicke, fette Kaufempfehlung für diese 'Hochzeit der Krachmacher'. Dieser Doppeldecker ist eine wahre Wohltat für die Seele. Selten waren 9 von 10 RockTimes-Uhren angebrachter!!

Steve Braun - rocktimes.de
 

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