Niacin

Having played straightforward hard rock with Mr. Big since the tail end of the '80s, bass virtuoso Billy Sheehan formed Niacin as an outlet for his jazz fusion and prog rock inclinations during the mid-'90s. The trio also featured keyboardist John Novello and drummer Dennis Chambers, both musicians who had crossed frequently between the worlds of jazz and rock during their careers. With Niacin, Novello devoted himself especially to the Hammond B-3 organ, a longtime mainstay of both jazz and prog rock.

Niacin - High Bias (1998) {HDCD Stretch Records} (ft. Chick Corea)
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© 1998 Stretch Records / Concord | SCD-9017-2
Jazz / Fusion / Jazz Rock

Niacin showed a great deal of promise on its self-titled debut album of 1996, and there were no signs of the infamous sophomore slump on the fusion trio's second album, High Bias. Recalling the '70s experiments of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever and the Billy Cobham/George Duke Band, this exciting CD served as a reminder that the freedom of jazz and the intensity of rock can complement one another in a major way.

The three members of Niacin each have high profile reputations. Bassist Billy Sheehan worked with Mr. Big, Talas, & David Lee Roth. Keyboardist John Novello worked with Chick Corea & Andy Summers, & drummer Dennis Chambers worked with Santana, George Clinton, & Stanley Clarke. As Niacin, they write songs that allow them to show off their musical gifts & powerful, soulful style. The sum of the parts makes the band a unique & identifiable force. The album features 2 unreleased studio tracks 'Front & Center' & 'Gelatin'.

2013 release, the sixth album and the instrumental neo-fusion supergroup Niacin featuring legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth), world-renowned drummer Dennis Chambers (Santana, Parliament/Funkadelic) and acclaimed keyboardist John Novello (Chick Corea, Ritchie Cole). Krush was recorded at Clear Lake Studios in North Hollywood (No Doubt, Black Veil Brides, Intronaut) with engineer Ara Sarkisian (Steel Panther) while being mixed and mastered by Dino Herrmann (Scorpions, Guns N' Roses, Meat Loaf).

It would be easy to call The Winery Dogs a supergroup: Vocalist and guitarist Richie Kotzen made his mark with Poison and Mr. Big, bassist Billy Sheehan has been rocking for decades with Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big and others, and drummer Mike Portnoy was the co-founder of progressive metal superstars Dream Theater. But The Winery Dogs are so much more than a supergroup. The proof is in the brew: The Winery Dogs is an eclectic, fully realized group with songs that groove and swing without sacrificing any of the grit that makes great hard rock so inspiring.

Compression is the first solo album by Billy Sheehan. William "Billy" Sheehan is an American bassist known for his work with Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. Sheehan has won the "Best Rock Bass Player" readers' poll from Guitar Player Magazine five times for his "lead bass" playing style. Sheehan's repertoire includes the use of chording, two-handed tapping, right-hand "three-finger picking" technique and controlled feedback.

The term "concept album" is usually used in connection with rock, but jazz has had its concept albums as well (Charles Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady and Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain, for example, are among jazz's most celebrated concept albums). Gladwell is a concept album from jazz guitarist/composer Julian Lage; in the liner notes, Lage explains that he envisioned this 2010 recording as an aural depiction of "an imaginary and forgotten town known as Gladwell." Lage doesn't use any lyrics to depict his fictional town: Gladwell is strictly instrumental. And Lage, who is heard on both acoustic and electric guitar, is appealingly melodic on his own compositions (which dominate Gladwell), as well as a performance of the standard "Autumn Leaves." As a guitarist, Lage favors an airy sound along the lines of Pat Metheny and Jim Hall, and as a composer, his influences range from Metheny to Oregon to Weather Report.