JESSICA (NL+E)

Dat trieste gebeurtenissen vaak een onuitputtelijke bron van inspiratie kunnen zijn, bewijst de van origine Amerikaanse gitarist Jeff Green op zijn debuutalbum Jessica, dat is opgedragen aan zijn op 31 mei 1996 doodgeboren dochtertje. De revenuen van dit album gaan naar het Southend Hospital voor het behoud van de rouwkamer aldaar. Green verwierf vooral bekendheid als gitarist-zanger in een Eagles-tribute band na zijn verhuizing naar Groot-Brittannië. Hij woont momenteel in Ierland en geeft onder meer gitaarles. De twaalf composities op Jessica zijn geschreven vanaf juni 1996; het album is dus een hele tijd onderweg geweest. Samen met toetsenman Mike Stobbie (ex-Pallas), drummer Pete Riley (Wetton/Downes, Keith Emerson band) en gitarist Phil Hilborne zijn het vooral de instrumentale stukken die imponeren. Invloeden van vooral The Eagles en Pink Floyd zijn het gemakkelijkst te herkennen. Twee akoestische gitaren worden subtiel bespeeld in Vision; in de derde track On This Night is voor het eerst de wat vlakke zang van Green te horen. Die zang is mijns inziens zeker niet het sterkste onderdeel. Het belangrijkste thema doet me erg aan een bepaald stukje van Alan  Parsons denken. Gelukkig maakt het vinnige gitaarwerk veel goed. Een rustige Pallas met Pink Floyd-invloeden is te horen in het vierde nummer met daarin het toetsenspel van Stobbie dat erg goed klinkt, terwijl Pride me erg aan een rustige Led Zeppelin herinnert. Essence is een lieflijk instrumentaal stukje dat van mij best langer had mogen duren. Buitengewoon lekker melodieus gitaarspel is te horen in Woman With Child, ondersteund door piano en orkestraties van Stobbie, die ook zijn synths nadrukkelijk laat horen. Being is een majestueus stukje toetsenspel dat naar meer smaakt en dat gebeurt ook in Jessie's Theme, waarin ook gaaf Floydiaans gitaargeweld te horen is. Vervolgens een flinke lik southern rock in Tomorrow Never Came, aan welke track de zang enigszins afbreuk doet. Het tweede deel met een belangrijke rol voor de 'Wakemaniaans' bespeelde toetsen, doet echter elke kritiek verstommen en ook de gitaarsolo's mogen er zijn. In het begin van Prittlewell Chase is subtiel akoestisch gitaargetokkel te horen en een 'fluit' van Stobbie. Nadat wat instrumentenen zijn toegevoegd volgt er een omslag als een wat discoachtige bassynth met daaroverheen gitaarsolo's het roer overneemt. De invloed van The Eagles doet zich gelden als ter ondersteuning een One Of These Nights-slaggitaar wordt toegevoegd. Live Forever is aardige rocksong, waarin de zang van Green goed te pruimen is, al klinkt de samenzang iets minder overtuigend.

Als Jeff Green de samenwerking met Stobbie kan voortzetten en hij vindt nog een goede zanger - wellicht Alan Reed? - dan zou er nog een grootse toekomst voor hem weggelegd kunnen zijn.

​ENGLISH:

Jeff Green originates from Northern California and grew up there in the seventies. Influenced by great artists like Rush, Yes, the Who, Pink Floyd and the Eagles, he started to play guitar and eventually completed a music theory degree in Sacramento. In 1986 he decided to move to the U.K. where he became guitarist and (background) vocalist in several (tribute) bands. Tragedy struck for Jeff and his girlfriend at the time when their daughter Jessica came into this world on May 31 1996 but was still borne. In January 1997 he was asked to join the Illegal Eagles, a tribute band for the Eagles and - with his guitar & guitar synthesizer- soon became their lead vocalist. The profits of this album are being donated to preserve the bereavement room in the Southend Hospital, where Jessica was borne. Jeff met his current fiancé and soulmate Laura Sparks, also from California, in 2002 and together with her two children they reside in Co. Clare in Ireland at present, where Jeff is teaching guitar among other activities. Jeff had to find an outlet to tell the story of his daughter and the tragedy of stillbirth. The album has been 11 years in the making and as often, tragic events prove to be a major source of inspiration. Had Jessica lived however, she would have been troubled by the decision of her father and mother to break up their relationship, so looking back maybe this isn't the worst case scenario possible, but on the other hand, a stillbirth of a child is most certainly something you wouldn't want anyone to have to go through. Jeff's compositions are played by himself (guitars, guitar synth & vocals) with Mike Stobbie (ex-Pallas) on keyboards, Pete Riley (Wetton/Downes, Keith Emerson band) on drums and some guitar parts are played by Phil Hilborne.

A melodic and symphonic opening leads to an instrumental part in the vein of the music by Pallas with some influences of the Eagles. Vision is a short interlude on the acoustic guitar, a nice poppy tune. In the track On This Night we hear Jeff's voice for the first time; some resemblances with Don Henley's voice but in my humble opinion the instrumental pieces surpass the ones with vocals by far. The sequencer and some of the melodies throughout the track remind of an instrumental piece by the Alan Parson Project. Excellent guitars though and some nice keyboards, among others the moog, make up for the mediocre singing. Very melodic, soothing and relaxed sounds the next track Willing The Clouds Away. Again there are formidable contributions by keyboardist Stobbie. Pride reminds of Led Zeppelin in one of their ballads, but in this case the vocals are quite okay. A lovely piano as well as a very catchy melody in the instrumental track Essence also with a synth sounding like a clarinet: for my taste this track might have been a bit longer! Woman With Child is also a rather slow melodic track reminding of Pallas: nice 'vocals' by Jeff's guitar and exquisite piano and keyboards by Stobbie. Being is a very majestic instrumental somewhat classical piece played just by keyboards, again the music might have gone on a bit longer! A bit of a tribute to Pink Floyd can be heard in Jessie's Theme. At first an acoustic guitar and then the electric guitar, at first sounding a bit like Eagles but in the second part it's full force mixed with some Oriental flavors and a guitar sounding like a sitar. Some Southern rock influences in Tomorrow Never Came and Jeff sounds a bit like Timothy B. Schmidt but as pointed out earlier, as much as I can appreciate the instrumentals, I don't think that much of the vocals. In the second part of the song there's multiple keyboards played by Stobbie with Rick Wakeman on his mind: superb! Jeff's soaring wah-wah guitars conclude this fine track. I believe I hear a synth played like someone is plucking the acoustic guitar gently and a (synth sounding like a) flute plays a familiar theme in the first part of Prittlewell Chase until a sudden change comes with the introduction of a disco like bass synthesizer. Nice soloing by Jeff and when more instruments and percussion are added, it all sounds in the vein of One Of These Nights by the Eagles. The last track is called Live Forever. A nice gentle rocksong, think of Poco for instance, in which Green's vocals are more soft, well within his natural range and therefore quite fair actually. Catchy chorus and once more some exquisite guitar playing by Green.

In conclusion Jessica is a very nice album by a great guitar player and multiple wonderful contributions by Mike Stobbie on the keyboards and some really outstanding melodies. I would love to hear the next album by Green called Elder Creek which should be nearly finished by now and I really hope he has continued to work with Stobbie and that he has asked someone like Alan Reed for the vocal duties...