Bill Connors - 1986 - Double-Up

Bill Connors

1986

Double-Up

01. Subtracks (4:58)
02. Tud (5:30)
03. Floor To Floor (6:40)
04. Crunchy Cuts Up (5:45)
05. Long Distance (5:53)
06. Out By Twelve (6:39)

Bill Connors / guitar, producer

With:
Tom Kennedy / 6-string electric bass
Kim Plainfield / drums

Not quite as great as it's immediate predecessor 'Step It', but awesome nonetheless. Kim Plainfield is an admirable replacement for the departed Dave Weckl, and Kennedy and Connors both play as impressively as ever. Connors' solos are said to be too 'Holdsworth-y' for some people, but in my opinion they are better than Holdsworth despite having some obvious influences.

The first impression I get when listening to this Bill Connors album is that he put together quite a talented trio. There's Bill himself, who's sound here is very reminiscent of Allan Holdsworth, bass player Tom Kennedy that many here know from Planet X, and drummer Kim Plainfield, now a Berklee School of Music professor.

The trio plays exceptional high energy fusion, mostly improvised around Connors' loose compositions. And it's the looseness, or lack of many composed sections that is this albums only real drawback. Because there is so much improvisation, and so little melodic sections, the album tends to have a sameness from start to finish. But at only 35 minutes, it's not much of a drawback, as the listener doesn't tire of the sounds, as the performances are so good.

Definitely an album more people should know about.