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Press for Cape Catasrophe:
After recording a handful of seminal fusion albums with Brand X, Jones moved to New York in the early 80's. SInce then, he has concentrated on developing his solo live performances, backing up his fretless Wal 5-string with pre-programmed synths and drum machines. The current state of his art is captured masterfully on Cape Catastrophe. On the seductive opener, "The Lie," Jones draws us into his music's dark atmosphere with slippery, sinister melodies and eerie samples. Then following the stomping nouveau-backbeat of the title track, we become willing victims of "Hex," a frenzied funkfest. Echoes of Brand X reverberate through "Tunnels," as Middle-Eastern tonalities mingle with Percy's exploding harmonic slides and rapid staccato runs. The bassist's gift for melody predominates on both "Slick," with its stately Euro-theme and "Thin Line," a techno-bopper punctuated with rubbery double-stops. But the album's centerpiece-and-masterpiece-is "Barrio," a 23 minute tour de force that is a starling realization of the sonic possibilities of the fretless, post-Jaco. Bass Player
The thought of an album driven almost entirely by a fretless bass may be unpalatable to some, but anyone who knows Percy Jones' previous work knows that his expressive, throaty tone is more than up to the task.
On this amazing solo effort, the instrumentalist creates a jungle of tense, dark atmospheres. Using only a Casio-CZ101 synth, a sequencer, a digital delay, a drum machine and his own inimitable fretless bass, Jones pulls the listener through a dazzling variety of exotically jagged terrains. As each composition unfolds, one is always left guessing what lies beyond the next sharp outcropping of sonic rock.
Home recording enthusiasts will find this CD"s sound quality to be one of its most remarkable aspects, particularly as it was produced at Jones' home on a cassette 4-track machine. You'd never know it from listening.
Bassists in particular will flip over Cape Catastrophe, but it is a must for every fan of exciting instrumental music. Guitar World
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