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Return To The Emerald Beyond (2 CD)
Ridiculously great and reverential recording by the Mahavishnu Project - Gregg Bendian's slavish recreation of Mahavishnu Orchestra. Here is what Cuneiform Records has to say:
"To hear you guys playing those tunes in such an unbelievable way is quite amazing. Great job! Keep up the good work." - John McLaughlin.
Founded in 2001 by drummer and composer Gregg Bendian, The Mahavishnu Project is dedicated to reviving and bringing to today's audiences the excitement and the transcendent experience of visceral intensity of the early days of jazz/rock in general and the music of the Mahavishnu Orchestra specifically. The band was formed by Gregg to perpetuate the spirit of live performance in which this music was created by performing this great music live! Return to the Emerald Beyond features a 11 piece band interpreting The Mahavishnu Orchestra’s Visions of the Emerald Beyond, one of the most explosive albums in the fusion genre. This is not a sound-alike project; Gregg and the band do not try to recreate the solos of the original players. What they do do is capture the amazing intensity and fire that the Mahavishnu Orchestra exuded, add their own selves to it and allow people to experience it first hand in concert and now on record. The band just slay the material and play it with conviction, belief, excellent musicianship and creative interpretation of the material!
"What is primary to me is they are all great musicians. Everyone has to be a good improviser. It's not enough to transcribe the tunes themselves. You have to be able to take them to another place.... These guys can get there." - Jan Hammer.
"...they grab the bar the original Mahavishnu set diring its 1971 - '74 peak and raise it a notch. There's a truly amazing level of musicianship at play here, balancing focus, intensity and freedom..." - The Boston Phoenix