Tom Fowler - 1992 - Heartscapes

Tom Fowler

1992

Heartscapes

01. Coffee Shop 5:36

02. Merely To Love You 4:30

03. Arigato Daijobu 4:10

04. Jimmy 4:56

05. She Looks Like A Girl 5:09

06. Angel Face 3:58

07. Burn You With Cold 4:17

08. Languished On The Line 5:03

Alto Saxophone – Steve Fowler (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8)

Backing Vocals – Alec Milstein (tracks: 8)

Backing Vocals – Amy Keyes (tracks: 7)

Backing Vocals – Bob Fernandez (tracks: 7)

Backing Vocals – Cathy Wyatt (tracks: 7)

Backing Vocals – Jaime Troy (tracks: 7)

Backing Vocals – Joy Fowler (tracks: 7)

Backing Vocals – Margie Balter (tracks: 7)

Bass Trombone – Phil Teele (tracks: 1, 5, 8)

Double Bass – Tom Fowler (tracks: 1, 6)

Drums – Chester Thompson (tracks: 2)

Drums – Gary Novak (tracks: 1)

Drums – Ralph Humphrey (tracks: 4)

Drums – Ray Brinker (tracks: 3, 5 to 7)

Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta (tracks: 8)

Effects – Alex Wurman (tracks: 7)

Electric Bass – Tom Fowler (tracks: 2 to 5, 7, 8)

Flute – Steve Fowler (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8)

Guitar – Michael O'Neill (tracks: 1, 2, 8)

Guitar – Mike Miller (tracks: 2 to 7)

Keyboards – Walt Fowler (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8)

Percussion – Ricky Cosentino (tracks: 1)

Tenor Saxophone – Albert Wing (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 8)

Trombone – Bruce Fowle (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 8)

Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Walt Fowler (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8)

Violin – Tom Fowler (tracks: 4)

Vocals – Aimee Chalfant (tracks: 5)

Vocals – Lynn Fiddmont (tracks: 8)

Vocals – Ricky Cosentino (tracks: 1 to 7)

Words By – Ricky Cosentino (tracks: 6)

This is a really brilliant album if one has the de-conditioned ears to listen closely. It is very accessible but also very Zappaesque and modern, as it should be, coming from Zappa's old bass player from the early 1970s, during the time George Duke and Jean Luc Ponty were in the band (Fowler also played on the stone-cold classic early JLP albums "Aurora" and "Imaginary Voyage"). Some of the songs have a "smooth-jazz" feel to it on the surface but make no mistake about it, they are still quite progressive in their own little ways. Fowler, following the example of Zappa, has tweaked the tunes and the lyrics and every bit of detail in just the right way to turn it into a real artistic statement full of humor and discovery and not just another cynical attempt to get radio play and achieve "commercial potential" through watering things down. The singers Fowler uses are not famous names to me but they are amazing. I really hate bad singers (or singers who may have at one time been great but lost it) who can't carry a tune but are given a pass because they're famous personalities from well-known groups,etc.

As far as appearances from other famous Zappa alumni go besides Tom and the rest of the Fowler brothers, Vinnie Colaiuta plays drums on track 8, Chester Thompson on track 2 and Ralph Humphrey on track 4. Chick Corea, Allan Holdsworth and Alanis Morissette drummer Gary Novak plays drums on track 1.