Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation

Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation

ASIN: B00008ZA2A

Track Listings

1. Detroit Rock City

2. Dream On

3. No One Like You

4. Goodbye To Romance

5. Still Loving You

6. Skol Blues

7. Pinball Wizard

8. Ofri

9. War Pigs

Editorial Reviews
Glen Astarita, Downbeat Magazine, March 2003
Skolnick's revved-up trio stunningly reconfigures tunes by rock icons into jazz-based, guitar trio fare. **** 1/2

Product Description
Take classic hard rock tunes from the 70s and 80s by the likes of Kiss, Scorpions, Black Sabbath and others. Rearrange them with rich harmonies and pulsating grooves of swing, funk and Latin. Throw in fiery improvisations on hollowbody guitar, double-bass and drums. What do you get? The Alex Skolnick Trio. At age eighteen, Alex Skolnick became a guitar hero with the metal band Testament. A few years and several albums later, he went on to perform and study jazz in New York, earning a music degree. Now, the worlds of metal and jazz have come together. Hear the result on "Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation."

Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation

Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation,Alex Skolnick Trio,Skol Productions,As featured in Downbeat (****1/2), Billboard, Jazziz, Guitar Player and more: High energy jazz versions of classic hard rock/metal tunes from the 70's and 80's by the likes of Kiss, Scorpions, Black Sabbath and more.

Transformation
Average customer rating:

Brilliant Idea

This CD Is A Testament To The Skill Of Alex Skolnick

A lot of fun and a great learning experience

Whatever

Tasteless.

Transformation
Alex Skolnick Trio
Manufacturer: Magna Carta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation

Last Day in Paradise

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ASIN: B0002VL0ME
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Tracks:

Transformation
Electric Eye
Fear Of Flying
Money
Both Feet In
Scorch
Blackout
IMV / The Trooper
No Fly Zone
Dont Talk To Strangers
Highway Star

Album Description

Straight ahead jazz mixed with heavy metal? Welcome to the world of the Alex Skolnick trio. When they first began in 2000, the idea was admittedly a bit far out: an improvisational trio doing creative arrangements of tunes by groups such as Black Sabbath. Even more unusual was the fact that this combo was led by a former speed metal guitar hero who had traded his electric guitar for a hollowbody archtop (known as a `jazz box'), moved to New York and studied with legendary musicians through the jazz department of New School University, where he earned his BFA. It was here where Alex hooked up with two fiery young prodigies in their early 20's on upright bass and drums; the three began practicing composition assignments and jazz standards. Frustrated with the limitations of the jazz repertoire, Alex stumbled upon this concept one night by hearing an arrangement of a Scorpions song in a dream. Arrangements of songs by Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, the Who and others followed; the group quickly developed a following in such New York City venues as Wetlands and the Knitting Factory.

The new trio album, "Transformation" (Magnatude), represents a turning point for the band. Original compositions fill just over half the album along with new arrangements of tunes by Judas Priest, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, and more. There is some new sonic territory in the covers; from the fiery Middle Eastern section in Deep Purple's "Highway Star," to the Latin acoustic flavor of Dio's `Don't Talk To Strangers.' Similarly, the originals cover a wide range of styles: from Alex's ethereal ballad `Fear Of Flying,' to the surf/blues of `Both Feet In' (penned by drummer Matt Zebroski) and Alex's creative composition and title track, `Transformation,' which combines a driving rock beat with jazz harmony, a rock guitar solo section and a haunting, catchy melody sung by all three members. This melody is enhanced by the cello of special guest Dave Eggar (who has recently played with such jazz greats as Michael Brecker and Dianne Reeves). Another special guest, Grammy nominee Charlie Hunter, comes aboard on his 8-string guitar/bass hybrid for Alex's funk/jazz composition, Scorch.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant Idea.......2005-09-10

I just heard these guys today. Downloaded a couple of live shows from the net. What a brilliant idea they have. I mean everybody does jazz standards over and over. To take music from a rock/metal genre and morph it into jazz is such a cool idea. There originals are done really well too. These guys are a refreshing sound that was needed. Both studio albums are great. Look for the live stuff on the net and you will be seeing them live too!

This CD Is A Testament To The Skill Of Alex Skolnick.......2005-07-24

Guitarist Alex Skolnick has returned with another unique CD that takes well-known Heavy Metal standards and converts them into jazz compositions. Many will immediately recognize Mr. Skolnick from his stellar guitar work in Testament years ago as well as his work with Trans-Siberian Orchestra's East Cost touring company. At first listen you might not recognize some of the tunes until a signature riff or key chord comes into play. I admit that even I took additional listens to it making sure I was in the mode of what the group was trying to deliver. This is really a well-done piece and the level of musicianship from Alex alone makes it worth picking up. While I am not a scholar of the jazz guitar, it certainly shows the skill Alex has and he really placed some effort into making this an interesting CD.

The group also includes some original numbers this time around and they are quite good. Among these pieces I enjoyed "Transformation" and "Fear Of Flying" most. Only six of the eleven numbers being reworked classics of Metal favorites. Among the anthems being "transformed" we have Dio, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Judas Priest and Pink Floyd. I have to say of the reworks I felt "The Trooper" and "Electric Eye" were what I listened to the most. Its just such a unique take on their songs that it could not be helped. This CD is definitely a different medium for fans of the former Metal guitarist but the rock-solid production and killer guitar work will most certainly appease any music fan. Alex is joined on the CD by Nathan Peck (Double Bass) and Matt Zebronski (Drums/Percussion). I was very impressed by Matt's drumming on the entire CD.

I recommend this piece to anyone who is looking for that little bit of difference from time to time. It is a mature and intelligent release that if you can keep an open mind musically you will really like it. Jazz heads will like it and I think an open minded metal head can appreciate it as well. Magnatude is a subdivision of Magna Carta who do their very best to bring you excellent Progressive music.

A lot of fun and a great learning experience.......2005-05-03

Okay, I admit my first thought when I heard about this project was that we had another version of Pat Boone's "In a Metal Mood." However, on hearing the tracks, I was extremely impressed. The arrangements are very tastefully done and the performances are first rate. This is a great entry-level disc into the world of "traditional" jazz and ideal for people who want to learn what it's all about. Kudos to Alex on taking a chance and pulling it off so well.

Whatever.......2005-04-28

This guy has played with so and so and he studied at this school or whatever and he works with these guys and blah blah blah -he sucks! and this album sucks! and charlie hunter sucks! and is a gimmick. This is decay. If only his music were as good as his resume. (I'm sorry if this review does not meet guidelines of the review forum but) for the love of god and the sake of the future of our children let it be known that this album SUCKS!!
-So does Charlie hunter and his gimmick-style. Even Louis Scolnick makes Alex look like a nerd.

Tasteless........2005-03-21

I'm not a traditionalist by any means, but this music is ugly why play jazz versions of metal . . . just play metal.
(negative stars aren't available?)

Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation

Average customer rating:

This is the album I have been looking for, for years
I dream of Hairbands . . . .
This disgusts me.
Alex Skolnick's solo offering rules!
Alex Skolnick Rules!!!

Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation

Manufacturer: Skol Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Transformation
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ASIN: B00008ZA2A
Release Date: 2002-03-20

Tracks:

Detroit Rock City
Dream On
No One Like You
Goodbye To Romance
Still Loving You
Skol Blues
Pinball Wizard
Ofri
War Pigs

Album Description

Take classic hard rock tunes from the 70s and 80s by the likes of Kiss, Scorpions, Black Sabbath and others. Rearrange them with rich harmonies and pulsating grooves of swing, funk and Latin. Throw in fiery improvisations on hollowbody guitar, double-bass and drums. What do you get? The Alex Skolnick Trio. At age eighteen, Alex Skolnick became a guitar hero with the metal band Testament. A few years and several albums later, he went on to perform and study jazz in New York, earning a music degree. Now, the worlds of metal and jazz have come together. Hear the result on "Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation."

Customer Reviews:

This is the album I have been looking for, for years.......2005-10-18

I love both heavy metal and jazz, and I have been looking for a good confluence of the two. I've found some swingcore (Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Hipster Daddio & The Hand Grenades, Leslie Bell & The First Bang Band), but most of it never lived up to its potential. The Lukather/Carlton collaboration was good but also fell short, and Stanley Jordan's experiments were too tentative.

This, however, is terrific. Skolnick is a great guitar player with serious knoweldge of music theory. The arrangements are truly in the jazz idiom, with the requisite improvistational feel and the triad chord structure, but the melodies are metal all the way (if tamed a bit). I've been listening to this album a lot.

I dream of Hairbands . . . ........2005-04-02

It came to me in a dream that I should get a big band together (like count basie's) and do covers of megadeth!

This disgusts me........2005-03-21

His tone is ugly, there is no soul, he is just shredding scales with no melodic content. This is not jazz. I have a hard time writing this without cursing. I am almost ashamed to be a guitarist because of garbage like this.

Alex Skolnick's solo offering rules!.......2004-04-20

After playing in two of the biggest and most important metal bands (Testament and Savatage) in the world, Alex Skolnick decided it was time to move on and explore different musical textures. Alex has always been so much more than just a typical metal guitarist who can shred his heart out. Even when he was in Testament, one of the leading forces of thrash metal, his sense of melody made him stand out among any other guitar player in the genre. His bluesy and jazzy feel became an indispensable part of his musical vision and it was clear that he would have to move on to broaden his horizons.

I bought Goodbye to Romance as soon as it was released in 2002 through Alex's independet label Skol Productions and was greatly pleased when I saw he'd taken the time to sign the CD for me. Upon reading his message in the booklet, I was even more intrigued than before. This isn't just an average cover album of a once-metal guitarist. While Alex covers and pays tribute to lots of rock and metal classics of bands including KISS, Aerosmith, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, The Who and Black Sabbath, he also plays two of his own songs ("Skol Blues" and "Ofri"). Moreover the tunes sound nothing like the original versions, they are all re-worked and put into the framework of Alex's jazzy musical direction. The song patterns are quite different (and sometimes even more interesting) and rich with variety, melody and warmth.

This project took off the ground when Alex had a dream in which he heard a very beautiful melody and had to wake up. As he couldn't place the tune, he felt compelled to pick up his guitar and work it out, only to find the melody he'd heard was a jazzified version of Scorpions' "No One Like You" and the rest is history. He put together a great band employing two very talented young musicians: John Graham Davies (double bass) and Matt Zebroski (drums).

Miles Davis has always been a great influence on Alex's songwriting. This solo release also seems to follow the path opened up by Davis decades ago. The music here is unbelievably eclectic and borrows elements from rock, funk and blues. It's an amalgam of all of these textures centred around a strong jazzy background. It's very deeply constructed, yet it flows so naturally. The interplay between all the instruments gives the album its final shape.

The title Goodbye to Romance actually has a very special significance, because as we all know, the song "Goodbye to Romance" was a song on Ozzy's debut album with guitar god Randy Rhoads, who was one of Alex's idols and biggest influences. Back in the mid-90's Alex played with Ozzy for a handful of shows in England and felt deeply honoured about playing Randy's songs so when he decided to release his solo album he titled it after this tune. As stated in the booklet, it is commonly known that Randy was planning to eventually leave the band to pursue his classical music education, but was unable to due to his untimely passing. Alex, on the other hand, just like Randy, was bold enough to leave his rock stardom behind and went back to school for his music degree. Randy's spirit guided him through all the way.

This is one of my favourite instrumental albums ever and I wish Alex nothing but all the best in his future career. I know it must be hard to create something like this, but if he ever gets to put another solo album I'll be one of the first to buy it.

Alex Skolnick Rules!!!.......2003-10-13

I saw the trio perform live in Indy. IT WAS AWESOME... I remember Alex from back in the Testament days... It is great to see him doing something like this that he really loves. The show was great start to finish... A CD can never do justice to a live jazz concert... but this one is good. I got to hang out with Alex for a bit after the show. Truly an artist that appreciates his fans. I would highly recommend this treasure to jazz and metal fans alike.

Average customer rating:

Goodbye to Romance: Standards for a New Generation
Alex Skolnick
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000285IDY
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Tracks:

Detroit Rock City
Dream On
No One Like You
Goodbye to Romance
Still Loving You
Skol Blues
Pinball Wizard
Ofri
War Pigs

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

Jazz Music