Meet Reviewer Damian Erskine –

The name of Yiorgos Fakanas has been flying around the bass community since an article in which Anthony Jackson named him as one of his favorite bassists.  After receiving this CD I can attest (like you needed ME too after that) that, yes, Yiorgos is a stunning player!  It always astounds me how much talent there is in the world that we are yet to be made aware of in the US.  You would do well to check Yiorgos out!

There are certainly some familiar names on this CD.  Dave Weckl and Mike Stern as well as Bob Franceschini, for example.  Although, as you might expect from the lineup, the music sounds very much like the Dave Weckl band with a Greek influence.  That said, it is perfectly recorded, musically stimulating, the playing is of an astounding caliber all around and this is some of the best groove-fusion music I’ve heard in quite some time.  Yiorgos’ playing is stunning.  You can bet I, for one, will be transcribing some of his lines and solos (as I suggest you all do!).

Bottom line:
If you’re not a fan of the Mike Stern band or Dave Weckl band, this is probably not your thing, but if you’re like me and love the way these guys play and love to transcribe some stellar grooves, you absolutely can’t go wrong here.  In this style, it just doesn’t get better than this!