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In his liner notes Rob Sbar says that
what he delivers on this album is something which Wagner would’ve
called ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’, a total work of art. This allround art
experience in Sbar’s case comprises written word, painting and above
all music. Together with Matt Schaefer on bass and Erik Feder on
percussion he chooses for the trio format and the eclectic format of
fusion. The many different faces which make up the album’s sleeve
design will most certainly also be the many musical ‘faces’ of Rob
next to the diversity of his ‘arty’ talent. On three tracks you can
hear the Rob Sbar Large Jazz Ensemble as recorded somewhere in
Philadelphia on november 20th 1996. Based on admiration
and adoration for people as diverse as George Lucas, Albert Camus,
Franz Kafka, Jean-Paul Sartre, Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch,
Nietzsche, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali but also John Coltrane,
Herbie Hancock, Hüsker Dü; Bob Mould and even The Cure’s Robert
Smith, the weird entitled “Wagon wheels and atom bombs” is indeed a
true solo album in every sense of the word. Here Rob Sbar tackles
everything that is important to him and if he had the means he would
probably deliver his album personally to everyone ordering a copy
simply to have the possibility to give some extra explanation along
the way.
Sbar can be proud to have people like
Schaefer and Feder who both seem to understand perfectly what our
guitarist really aims for. Whether it’s chaotic electric guitar or
the more laid-back jazzy guitar all tangled into one such as in
‘Drowning in a vacuum’, Sbar knows precisely what he’s doing. Art
for art’s sake all the way ! In a way his approach slightly reminds
me of Keith More’s (first Arena guitarist) debut solo album. However
I sense a great deal of narcissism on this disc as well. On the
first two pages of the CD booklet Rob Sbar’s name is printed no less
than ... twenty times ! OK, by now we certainly know who the ‘sick
brain’ behind this album is. ‘Diet soda, Chinese food and a single
yellow daisy’ mainly has Rob ‘freaking’ his way through a
composition which luckily is held tight by the drum and bass
department. Nevertheless it remains a nerve wrecking experience to
say the least ! |
