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Reviews about "Patterns"
On this album are Jake Hertzog (guitars) is joined by Harvie S (acoustic bass) and Victor Jones (drums) who collectively form the Jake Hertzog Trio and like ever so often in the jazz scene the group is named after its leader. In this case Jake Hertzog. This is the second full album by this young jazz guitarist and his first release on Buckyball Records.
I already hear a lot of you ask why a review about a jazz album on DPRP? Well just because Patterns is an album full of atmospheric tunes flavoured with jazz and a real progressive tone to it. First things first, it is not a very long album but it is awfully strong and completely instrumental. Jake and crew take us all on a spin around the guitar and he sure knows how to play his chosen instrument. Being as young as Jake is, he has a wonderful career lying ahead of him playing jazz/rock/fusion. At his age Jake already belongs among the great jazzy guitar players like Pat Metheny,Al Di Meola, John Mclaughlin to name but a few.
On Patterns we have eleven tracks of which eight are own compositions by Jake Hertzog, which leaves three covers. Well no not covers re-arrangements by Mr HerTzog. And he does a terrific job to. It is very daring to take on a real classic song like Georgia On My Mind and make a new arrangement, but Jake has done so.
The album has not one boring moment, it is a strain of patterns if you will, but with great precision and care, emotions and skill, great melody and superb playing. Still I can only recommend the album to the true lovers of instrumental music or the more jazz/fusion sectors of the progressive community. This being the reason why I cannot go higher than seven out of ten in my numeric conclusion. If I were to rate the same album to a more jazzier publication or readership I would be inclined towards a nine 9 out of ten - easy. It is a fantastic album...
Conclusion: 7 out of 10 Gert Hulshof The Dutch Progressive Rock Page
Young musicians in general, and guitarists in particular, seem inclined to develop their technique first and foremost; tone usually comes second, taste third. To his credit, 23-year-old Illinois native Jake Hertzog has the first two down, thanks in part to being a 2007 Berklee grad. But his sophomore CD, "Patterns" intermittently proves that good taste requires more age and experience.
The album gets off to a promising stan with some Hertzog originals. The opening "McJazz" is a romp that imagines a Chet Atkins-Les Paul duet through its swinging, twanging overdubbed guitar parts. "Wistfully" then downshifts to feature the guitarist's hollowbody touch amid the loping patterns of bassist Harvie S and drummer Victor Jones, complete with the composer's additional background effects (a recurring theme throughout, and perhaps a holdover of his earlier rock playing). On "Joining Hands." within the rhythm sections shifts between 4/4 and 5/8 time, Hertzog uses a maze of overdubbed tones that recall the joyous creativity of a young Pat Metheny.
But the front-loaded disc begins to veer after that. On "Leaves Again," Hertzog sounds every bit the former rock guitarist who's trying to be taken seriously by using Middle Eastern modes and power chords that simply sound forced. The Great American Songbook is performed with varying degrees of success: Bob Haggart's "What's New" is given a creative trio read, but Hertzog unaccompanied reading of Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind" comes across as self-indulgent, and he sounds like he's performing scale exercises during Cole Porter's closing "I Love You.' Unlike his 2009 debut, "Chromatosphere", Hertzog doesn't have nearly the same element of surprise here. The young guitarist has unlimited potential, but will have to work on that last "t" word to join his decorated jazz and fusion elders Bill Meredith Jazztimes
On his second solo album Patterns Jake Hertzog shows he is a precocious exponent of the modern jazz guitar. Like the "hey jazz guy" column for Guitar Magazine and he won the guitar competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2006. He enriches the typical vibration-free sound of jazz guitar with various effects and his playing techniques, although he was influenced by the jazz greats of yesteryear, he interweaves his admiration for rock guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and The Edge, virtual masters like Steve Vai and bluesmen such as Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan in his compositions. He is not so much imitating the style of those musicians, but inte-grates certain of their characteristics in his own playing style. Veteran like Harvie S (Mike Stern, Glenn Alexander) and Victor Jones (Stan Getz, Stanley Clarke) on bass and drums, are ideal companions. late jazz in the somewhat-like Eric Johnson Mcjazz, fast excited soaking nuts in echo, echo while the ballad . Joining Hands fully joined by soft, counter-melody voices, Hertzog not - just like Lyle Workman - with a different kind of melody-melodic guitar form. The broken chords of the theme seem to be on a jazzy version of Robert Fripp.
The oriental Leaves Again, in a manner similar to Stanley Jordan, but also that spatial sound halfway U2 is discernible. Blues is not Hertzog almost free jazz approach to that genre. Besides his own work Patterns also includes arrangements of What's New, Georgia on my Mind and I Love You. According to the guitarist playing these evergreens is an additional challenge, because puts its own signature pieces that fit well in this collection of progressive jazz songs, Hertzog is clearly distinct from the army shredding jazz-rock guitarists.
René Yemada Stiching IO (Holland)
At 24, Jake Hertzog is the latest Berklee Music School graduate to be making a burgeoning reputation. His debut album 'Chromatosphere' announced the arrival of a new distinctive voice on guitar. 'Patterns' consolidates that reputation.
The band is Jake Hertzog (guitar), Harvie S (bass) and Victor Jones (drums).
Set against Jake Hertzog's young ambition, the other members of the trio introduce a wealth of experience. Harvie S has performed and recorded Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Jim Hall, Michael Brecker, Gil Evans, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny, Art Farmer, Toots Thielemans, Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Chick Corea, Erik Friedlander, Danilo Perez, Paquito D'Rivera and Pat Martino. Victor Jones played in Stan Getz’s band and has performed and recorded with Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Clarke, Michel Pettruciani, Dizzy Gillespie and Chaka Khan among others. He leads the group Culturversey which includes Jake Hertzog on guitar.
Like Bill Frissell or Mike Stern, Jake Hertzog's guitar sound is not that of the typical jazz guitar; it is open, with reverb, sustain and echo and very much a rock or pop sound. Yet he uses this to good jazz intent.
There are heavy numbers – 'Dipole', 'McJazz', 'California Hills' – that dazzle with energy and high level virtuosity and point towards fusion. There are quieter, sparsely accompanied performances that show a deeper understanding – a resonant take on 'Georgia On My Mind' and the cool and restrained 'Wistfully' – and material that intersects these two extremes - 'Sun Lovers' and 'Her'.
But it is the take on 'What's New' and the opening 'No Blues' that point clearly to how far Jake Hertzog is a unique voice in jazz with potential to be able to reach out to a jazz sensibility for a new audience for the music.
Recommended. 100 Greatest Jazz Albums
Echoes of Metheny, Stern, and Breau (among others) surface in Hertzog’s playing, but his dazzlingly adventurous approach puts him in a jazz league all his own. What a gifted guitarist, and at 22, he’s just getting started! Buckyball.
Art Thompson Guitar Player Magazine
Excellent jazz and fusion album from guitarist Hertzog whose technique rivals that of Allan Holdsworth without in any sense being a Holdsworth clone. This is creativity set loose and reveled in! A young player who obviously brings influences to the sound of a jazz guitar trio other than the usual jazz players and fusion icons. There is something here that hasn't been heard before! Of course, it is grounded well enough in jazz tradition that listeners who wish to approach his work as "jazz" will be satisfied to have another CD from a fine player to add to their collections, whereas people looking for a new take on the jazz tradition will also find a lot to love on "Patterns". Hertzog plays confident, even blistering solos without loosing sight of the tune and structure while throwing in enough left turns to keep us surprised and smiling! A fine sophomore release from a new force in the world of jazz. Adding Hertzog's name to the list of jazz fusion innovators like Metheny, Holdsworth, McLaughlin and Ray Russell might be a little premature but if that is going out on a limb then I'd confidently sit on that branch to watch the sunrise! Certainly a must-buy for fans of great fusion and jazz guitar! ZNR.com
Jake Hertzog: Patterns (Buckyball br022, www.buckyballmusic.com) Young electric guitarist Jake Hertzog just released this second trio date featuring the same stellar accompaniment by bassist Harvie S [Swartz] and drummer Victor Jones as on last year'sChromatosphere (That's Out Records, TO1, www.cdbaby.com). Hertzog, still in his early 20s, has played pop with the Naked Brothers Band (with Nat and Alex Wolff, sons of jazz pianist Michael Wolff), and is the youngest winner (at age 20) of the Montreux Jazz Festival's Jazz Guitar Competition's Grand Prize (in 6). Hertzog plays in a variety of styles onPatterns, ranging from the crunchy, edgy swing of the opening "McJazz" to the classic, straightforward rendition of "Georgia on My Mind." Eight of the 11 songs are originals, including the appropriately titled "Wistfully," the off-kilter blues of "Not Blues" and the melodic "Her," which evokes tropical images. In short, Hertzog is an up-and-coming guitarist to watch.
Martin Z. Kasdan Jr. Louisville Music News
Jazz guitarist Jake Hertzog has once again teamed up with producer Joshua Paula Thompson and his dynamic duo of a rhythm section starring bassist Harvie S and drummer Victor Jones to release Patterns, an album filled with wildly eccentric technical playing highs, memorable melodies, and quaint experimentalism.
Following the lead of his preceding album, Chromatosphere (2009), Patterns leads with its most energy-driven track, “McJazz.” This rock-fueled, jazz-spiked listening adventure displays Jake’s awesome technical abilities and a tight rapport with the rhythm section. You definitely can’t help but go on. However, like Chromatosphere, the opening track is really nothing like the rest of the album. On the second track, “Whistfully,” the album takes on a different persona altogether, which introduces you more to the vein of the rest of the album’s recurring themes, notably a plentiful use of delay and guitar layering.
Track three, “Joining Hands,” is Jake’s first epic. The song is written like a story, taking you from introduction, a gradual build, and giant climax, all resolving into a satisfying conclusion. There’s a lot going on and it all works together quite well. Part of what makes this track so successful is Jake utilizing the studio as a musical weapon to create more sonic textures in which to express his music. What particularly stands out is the acoustic guitar. This really gives the different elements of the song a more connective sound as it adds a more rhythmic element than the electric, plus an expanded tonality with bigger chords to support the layers of overdubs.
There’s one track on this album that’s just Jake and it’s one of the most covered jazz standards of all time: “Georgia On My Mind.” It’s reminiscent of something Jimi Hendrix might have done on a solo cover of a jazz standard. Interestingly, though, some of the more bluesy fills have a Stevie Ray Vaughn vibe to them. The playing here is more laid back and pretty than a lot of what we’re used to hearing from Jake. Plus, being in a key that allows for open strings really adds to this thoughtful interpretation of a familiar song.
As always, Jake’s guitar playing is technically impressive. He has a very dissonant soloing style that’s heavy with well-practiced arpeggios and some intermittent bluesy digressions. It can get excessively notey, though. Some of the guitar solos go off on tangents that gush technique but seemingly lack purpose. This leads to a lot of disconnect from the rhythm section, who are remarkably solid and concrete, but gives the impression that they’re not always on the same page as Jake, who expresses himself more abstractly. On “What’s New,” the rhythm section just fades out and we’re left with another two and a half minutes of aimless experimenting with the delay pedal that’s just a lot of noodling, finishing up with a cliché rhythm section hit and an improvisational fade out.
One thing that could have been improved on this album was the mixing. There are a lot of great ideas in the overdubs but they’re often too low in the mix and they’re not really expressed at their maximum efficiency. Also, throughout a lot of the album, the bass seemed to have either been leveled too low or lacked clarity.
This is one of those albums that definitely need a few listens to warm up to. There isn’t anything on this album that hasn’t been experimented with before in other genres of music but it does serve as a potential inspiration for other players who are predominantly jazz-oriented to experiment more with sonic texturing and utilization of the entire studio and all its potential, something that’s always been severely lacking in jazz music. As a player, Jake is very solid and gifted; as a songwriter, there is still a bit of maturing that needs to be done but there is definitely no lack of potential or will to experiment. Patterns is another positive step in revealing Jake Hertzog’s potential to become a force to be reckoned with.
Marcus Jesberg thejazzpolice.com
I reviewed a fantastic CD from Jake in issue # 93... this one is even better (& that's hard to believe, because the first one was miles above all the other jazz guitarists)... the opener, "Mcjazz", is killer! Pumping & full of life-giving energy, it will propel you through the outer edges of the galaxy at near light-speed... Jake's guitar leads the exploration, of course! You'll fall in love with "Joining Hands" from the opening bar... mighty mellow strings here, with solid bass lines and a pattern that will stick in your ears (& your head) for years to come. It was track #5, though, "Not Blues", that gets my pick as favorite... particularly poignant snatches of what it's "not" slide in & around your ears, but the jazz influence is heavy & totally original! His pace here & throughout the album, is totally gentle, yet filled with groove! I'm once again highly impressed - and knowing I have an album my ears will listen to over & over & over again, as will yours (unless you're totally a traditionalist, with no sense of adventure in your ears). I give this one a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, as well as my "PICK" of the issue for "best guitar jazz". "EQ" (energy quotient) rating is a smashing 4.98. Rotcod Zzaj improvijazznation
It’s almost safe to say that this sounds like nothing you’ve heard before. To say that Hertzog is a shredder that can’t be stopped is just to get the conversation started. Playing somewhere between jazz and rock, this is what “Metal Machine Music” might have sounded like if Lou Reed had intended it to be something more than a pile of shit to get him out of his contract. Wanna hear young Al DiMeola on speed? What else can I say? This is the guitar record you play when you absolutely, positively need to have you mind melted. Yngwie Malmsteen and Charlie Christian rolled into one, all this kid has to do is not run so fast that he trips over himself and the world will be his oyster. Hot stuff for shredder ears.
Chriss Spector Midwest Records
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