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Glen Ackerman: The Glenious Inner Planet

  Tobias Fischer

Led by bassplayer/composer Glen Ackerman, this moderately offbeat jazz project struts the abilities of the Houston jazz scene, particularly sax/clarinet guy Woody Witt, who flutters, struts and crashes all over the place in a superhuman effort to cohere Ackerman’s varied whims.

The stuff purports to revolve around a spaceship concept, which works in the context – opener “Blue Ronda a la Raad” quickly shifts from being a steamy Al Di Meola-style vehicle for Chris Cortez’ guitar to a thinly veiled sax-driven nick of the break from Rush’s “Tom Sawyer.” It’s not an entirely crazy record at all, though, if you’ve heard avant stuff ever in your life. There are Zappa-worshipping curveballs galore, yes – any modern Ed Wood would draft “Inner Planet” for soundtrack duty, and Ackerman looses some Pastorius outbursts (on “Potato Wagon” for example).

However, the lack of innovative synths – actually there are no artificial ingredients whatsoever – leaves this as simply a glimpse into throwback, albeit interesting, 80s fusion.

By Eric Saeger

Homepage: Glen Ackerman
Homepage: Blue Bamboo Music