Harrison, Joel / Wheel, The
Album: Wheel, The   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Harrison, Joel   Added:Jul 2008
Label:Innova Recordings  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2008-08-03 Pull Date: 2008-10-05 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Oct 5 Sep 28 Sep 14 Aug 31 Aug 24 Aug 17 Aug 10
Airplays: 2 1 1 2 1 1 2

Recent Airplay
1. Nov 27, 2021: Music Casserole
Rising
4. Oct 10, 2008: No Cover, No Minimum
Rising
2. Feb 29, 2020: Music Casserole
Rising
5. Oct 03, 2008: Memory Select
We Have Been The Victims Of A Broken Promise
3. Jun 07, 2013: No Cover, No minimum
Ceaseless Motion (Watch The Future Roll By)
6. Oct 03, 2008: No Cover, No Minimum
Blues Circle

Album Review
Fo
Reviewed 2008-08-03
JOEL HARRISON: The Wheel
Innova, 2008
JAZZ/CLASSICAL – Stunning suite for double-quartet (three violins + cello on the one hand, a jazz quartet on the other) and Harrison’s own moody guitar. This is an excellent merging of modern jazz and modern classical music, with dynamite improvisational energy surging within intricately layered structures, while also incorporating heavy doses of Appalachian and even African music. Just awesome. Highly recommended!

energetic: 1, 5 / jazzy: 2, 3 / emotive: 4, 6

1. 6:07 – slow strings, then a bustling Appalachian sound with layers of rhythm
2. 7:02 – slow intro, then thoughtful African sound on an intricate 5-beat cycle, switches to straight jazz midway through, drifts back gradually
3. 9:39 – strong pulse, elaborate harmony: rises, then plateaus for sax solo; breaks down for complex string interaction. Liner notes mention Messiaen and Weather Report… yep, that’s about right!
4. 7:47 – elegiac intro, then slow, simple, emotionally rich with surging strings
5. 7:33 – speedy, bursting with energy, incredibly dense at times, exhausting
6. 8:09 – tragic intro, heavy strings slowly rising, then gritty soaring guitar

[ Fo ] 3-Aug-08

Track Listing
1. American Farewell   4. We Have Been The Victims Of A Broken Promise
2. Blues Circle   5. Ceaseless Motion (Watch The Future Roll By)
3. Rising   6. In Memoriam: Dana Brayton