''Colma'' is the fourth studio album by guitarist Buckethead. It was released on March 24, 1998, on CyberOctave records. The album was recorded for Buckethead's mother, who at the time was sick with

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel mo ...

, and he wanted to make an album which she would enjoy listening to while recovering.

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

alumna Teri Untalan appeared as a guest musician on two tracks of the album. In a 2009 interview, she recalled Buckethead as being "an odd one, an elusive character."

Composition

In contrast to Buckethead's other albums, ''Colma'' is an acoustic album. Most of the tracks are composed on acoustic guitar. Additionally, ''Colma'' mostly contains simple bass guitar, lead guitar, and drum playing parts. James Lien of '' CMJ New Music Monthly'' writes that ''Colmas melodies are "geometric and mathematical-sounding, almost like Bach or modern classical music." Andy Gill of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' describes the mood of the album as "reflective" saying, " uckethead usesthe dry, neutral tone favoured by jazz guitarists on a series of discreet instrumentals." Gill describes the tracks "Ghost" and "Hills of Eternity" as being "ruminative, sluggish pieces sprinkled with limpid droplets of guitar." He also thought the title-track, "Colma", closed the album "like the twinkle of a long-dead star." Reviewer Jeff Clutterbuck of ''The Daily Vault'' considers "Watching the Boats With My Dad" to be an authentic, emotional track writing that " tis so wistful and flows so gently, you have to believe it was inspired by a real moment." On the other hand, "Big Sur Moon" offers a change of style in guitar playing showcasing Buckethead's consistent quick rhythmic ability on acoustic guitar.

Track listing

Notes

*The song "Hills of Eternity" is named after the cemetery,

Hills of Eternity Memorial Park Hills of Eternity Memorial Park, also known as Giboth Olam, is a Jewish cemetery founded in 1889, and is located at 1301 El Camino Real (California), El Camino Real, in Colma, California. This cemetery is owned by Congregation Sherith Israel (San ...

where

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which law ...

is buried. *The song "Wishing Well" is identical to the Pieces song "Danyel", but excludes Buckethead's vocals.

Personnel

;Performers * Buckethead –

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

(on all tracks, except "Machete") *

Brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

, tape loops *

DJ Disk DJ Disk is a turntablist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is of Panamanian, Colombian, and Nicaraguan descent. Born Luis Quintanilla on October 7, 1970, in San Francisco, Disk began scratching and mixing vinyl at a young age. In 1992, he joined ...

–

turntables A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

(on "Machete," "Hills of Eternity," and "Lone Sal Bug") * Bill Laswell – bass guitar (on "Machete") * Terry Untalan –

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

(on "Wondering" and "Lone Sal Bug") ;Production *Recorded and mixed by Xtrack at Embalming Plant, Oakland, CA. *Track 6 recorded and mixed by Robert Musso at Orange Music, West Orange, New Jersey. *Produced by Buckethead and Xtrack. Track 6 produced by Bill Laswell and Buckethead.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colma (Album) 1998 albums Buckethead albums Albums produced by Bill Laswell