Live Around the World: Where We Come From 1998-99
More of a souvenir for the converted than an enticement to the uninitiated,Live Around the Worldis a double-disc dosage of Vital Information, the jazz-rock vehicle that formerJourneydrummer Steve Smith has cultivated since the early 1980s. Recorded in club-sized venues in Sydney, Toronto, Chicago, and Amsterdam, the group leans on jazz and traces of R&B; as its principal benchmarks, bringing to mind an evolved, slightly edgierChick CoreaElektric Band minusEric Marienthalon saxophone--no surprise, really, given guitarist Frank Gambale's in both units.The four-man Vital Information's selections are regularly sweetened by the Hammond B-3 and accordion of formerSantanakeyboardist Tom Coster (bassist Baron Browne rounds out the foursome, replacing Jeff Andrews). Coster, in fact, is the primary instrumental focus of many selections and even contributes a subdued accordion version of his Santana hit, "Europa." The group's clever take onLed Zeppelin's "Moby Dick" surfaces here as an energetic fingerpainting exercise by Browne (supplemented by a soulful Hammond rave-up by Coster) before the tune becomes recognizable in its final 45 seconds--without a single Bonhamesque workout on drums from Smith. Several selections are attractively performed ("Swamp Stomp" and "First Thing This Morning" are treats), though the group never fully catches fire (Gambale in particular) until the 15th track, "Over and Out," the closest the band gets to full-throttle fusion on this package. Interesting; not overpowering.--Terry Wood