A lost gem refound
crown | 07/21/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Viola Crayola was a vehicle for the writing and guitar playing of Anthony Viola--joining him were his brother Ron on drums and bassist Bill Jolly. This is music of its time (1974) and the two most obvious influences are Frank Zappa and Mahavishnu Orchestra-era John McLaughlin. Unlike most other rock guitarists of that era, however, Tony Viola had the musical knowledge to be able to handle the odd time signatures and harmonic complexities utilized by both those artists, and was able make some excellent music in the same vein. He was laying the foundation for a career that was tragically cut short, as he died in an accident a few months after these recordings were made. Still, we have this, finally released on CD for the first time, and it is worth seeking out for anyone who feels that those days represented a high-water mark for certain kinds of music. In this case, that would be sophisticated chord changes and complex rhythms played with loud distorted electric guitars. Not that there aren't quieter moments: "2+1" in particular shows the band in what might be called a mellow mood, if you think that Cecil Taylor when he's playing quietly is mellow.
If it isn't clear yet, this is music made by musicians who were not garden-variety garage-band psychedelizoids (like me), but were skilled, passionate, and full of a youthful desire to be as proficient as possible while not forgetting to just plain rip it up.
One caveat: the mastering could be better, as the bass frequencies seem weak--crank up the lows and listen to it loud."
