''Improvision'' is an album by guitarist

Alex Machacek Alex Machacek (born 1 July 1972, Tulln an der Donau, Austria) is an Austrian jazz fusion guitarist. Early years Machacek was born to a Czech family in Tulln, Austria. His family had moved to Austria in the 1960s as refugees. Since then, they h ...

, drummer

Jeff Sipe Jeff Sipe (born January 31, 1959), also known as Apt. Q258, is an American drummer. He is a rock and jazz fusion drummer but is proficient in other styles. He is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit with Bruce Hampton. He was a member of Le ...

, and bassist Matthew Garrison. It was recorded in April 2007, and was released later that year by

Abstract Logix Abstract Logix is an American record label, based in Cary, North Carolina, which specializes in jazz fusion, world and jam band music. As of late 2022, Abstract Logix has released 66 titles from musicians spanning the globe. In 2019 they were vot ...

Reception

In a review for ''

Jazz Times ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

'', Forrest Dylan Bryant praised the album's "quicksilver melody and locomotive rhythm," and wrote: "this progressive fusion disc proclaims the continued vitality of electric and electronic jazz." John Kelman of ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'' awarded the album a full 5 stars, calling it "another step forward for a kind of intelligent fusion that juxtaposes inspired soloing with near-telepathic interplay and imaginative writing." ''AAJs Ian Patterson also awarded the album 5 stars, calling it "wonderful music," and commenting: "The CD sleeve suggests filing ''Improvision'' under Jazz/Rock. Perhaps a more fertile idea, in keeping with the music, and in the hope that it reaches the widest possible audience would be to file it under Extraordinary." A writer for ''The Free Jazz Collective'' remarked: "the music evolves from high speed and intense music with lots of soloing to a calmer atmosphere in the end, with subdued and even some meditative moments."

Track listing

# "There's a New Sheriff in Town" – 6:26 # "Along Came a Spider" – 4:27 # "Shona" – 6:59 # "Gem1" – 5:21 # "Gem2" – 2:45 # "To Whom It May Concern" – 2:40 # "Yoga for Cats 1" – 2:21 # "Yoga for Cats 2" – 4:48 # "Very Sad" – 8:13 # "Matt's Riff" – 4:56 # "Put Me Back to Sleep" – 5:59

Personnel

– guitar, guitar synthesizer * Matthew Garrison – bass *

– drums

References

{{Reflist 2007 albums Alex Machacek albums Jeff Sipe albums Abstract Logix albums