Various Artists - Jam on Guitars
Magnitude
www.magnatuderecords.com

Rating: B

Magnitude is a cool label.  They seek out and release music from real musicians.  Everyone on Jam on Guitars  are virtuoso musicians.  Each song included can be found on other releases, so in that aspect it is like a 'best of' Magnitude guitarists.  Some of the big names to be featured are Steve Morse, Alex Skolnick, Oz Noy, Chris Poland and, from beyond the grave, Jerry Garcia. 

We are not so sure all of these guys fit into the Jam Band era (Morse? Skolnick?) as the marketing suggests but once you slip the disc into your CD player you are not going to care much about the marketing.  It is the out and out jamming that will get you smiling from ear-to-ear.  Warning: This is not for metal heads.  This is more a guitar lover's wet dream. Instrumentals for the most part, the music contained ranges from hard rock to folk rock to jazz rock to art rock.  Any self respecting guitar music fan will love this release. 

Another aspect that makes this offering interesting is that it will introduce most to bands such as The Clinton Administration, Ozric Tentacles and Robert Walter's 20th Congress.  One can discover great bands that are flying under the radar and then learn how to buy complete albums by visiting www.magnatuderecords.com

By Jeb Wright