Howland, Laug, Morrison & Pinnick

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Two guitarists from the storied band Chicago get together with friends for a rock/fusion guitarfest with tuneful melodies, jazz sensibilities, and cool grooves.

tracks

: 1 Tenacious Boogie
: 2 The Last One
: 3 Hank Spank
: 4 Pay The Man
: 5 Cup O' Tea
: 6 Swingset Assembly
: 7 Bowl Of Surprises
: 8 Laug Jam
: 9 Snonga

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notes

The story behind the music of "Howland, Laug, Morrison & Pinnick"...

From the pen (keyboard) of Keith Howland: As the current guitarist (9 years and counting) of the rock band Chicago and also a fan of the previous incarnations of the band, I'd always admired guitarist Chris Pinnick who had worked with the band during their heyday in the early eighties.

Chris was (is) an exciting, energetic and musical player with frightening chops.

My guitar technician Hank Steiger who has been with the band for over 30 years has maintained a friendship with Chris and speaks with him frequently.

When Chris' name came up in conversation one day I said "Tell Chris he's a Bad Dude!".

Hank relayed the message and returned saying "Chris says he likes your playing too...".

Still having never spoken with Chris, I told Hank to tell him that "we should make a record together".

The messenger returned with "Chris says, OK let's make a record".

I decided to move forward, calling my good friends and monster musicians Lance Morrison (bass, Don Henley, Rod Stewart) and Matt Laug (drums, Alanis Morrisette, Slash) to see if they were interested in recording an instrumental art project.

Both were in, phone calls were made, a date was set and my first meeting with Chris was the day he pulled up in front of my house, guitar in hand and we wrote and recorded what is now called "Snonga".

You can hear us sort of feeling our way on that track, never having played together and not knowing what to expect from each other.

The solos were live during tracking and there is a friendly competition evident there.

Each song on the record was recorded exactly the same way, with someone (or nobody) bringing in a seed of an idea and the four of us hashing it out until we were all satisfied with the results.

Usually in about 2-3 hours we would have written, arranged and tracked a tune in it's entirety only to return to it to overdub the occasional melody line.

Finally, once we felt we had a record with great tunes, performances and diversity, we brought in Jeff Babko to weave some of his keyboard magic on 3 tunes.

Jeff truly is amazing, integrating himself into the song as if he had been there for the tracking session.

As a final touch and a different flavor, my good friend and drummer with Chicago Tris Imboden came over and added some soulful "Blues Harp" to the rocker "Laug Jam".

I now have a new good friend in Chris Pinnick, lots of guitar licks to steal and an album that I'm very proud of.

Now that you know the story and the spirit behind the recording of "Howland, Laug, Morrison, & Pinnick", I hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed playing!

reviews

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Two words
author: Melinda Miller
Howland and Pinnick. Ok now that I've convinced you, go buy this album. You won't be disappointed!
Unbelievable!
author: Joy-Marie
If you love great guitars, you will love this!!!
Fantastic with innovative rythem
author: HLMP
I first heard this CD in LA,CA. I couldn't get the songs out of my head. I would recommend this to anyone who truly appreciates music.
Great guitarists.
author: Carmine D'Amico
As a fellow guitarist,holder of 16 Grammy Awards,it was a gift to hear the two guitarists from the band Chicago jam it out.I really enjoyed the interaction between them and the band.This is GREAT MUSIC.Carmine D'Amico
past&present chicago guitars make me smile
author: jr
ULTIMATE THROW DOWN ALBUM/CD JUST L I S T E N AND FEELIT !!!!
Great guitar fusion rock
author: Matt
This CD is a great jazz rock fusion with great guitar work - a very enjoyable cd by some very talented musicians!
A great performance wasted by a poor studio mix
author: Steve Gledhill, Naperville, IL
I would have easily rated this CD with a five star review if I wasn't so disappointment with what someone did to ruin it after its original recording. Or maybe it was the recording engineer. Someone didn't have a clue. This CD is so overly compressed that I am actually angry about it. I have CDs I from the 70s and 80s that have a more 3-dimensional sound than this one does. The guitars sound thin and have a shrill when you crank 'em up. The drums are recorded up front but they should be thumping me in the chest especially on tracks 8 and 9 for sure, but they're way to warm without depth to them in the mix. I should be able to feel bass guitar more than hear it but that is not the case here. The Howland live recordings have the same problem. This CD is like looking out at the Grand Canyon on a hazy cloudy day. You know its great and you admire it for what you believe it to be, you just don't get to appreciate the brilliance since its colors and depth are lost in the haze. That's this CD. A great performance of really cool tunes by wonderful musicians but its brilliance is lost in the haze.
this CD kicks some major ass
author: Bill Warner
I've been a big Chicago fan for about 30 years, and was pleasantly surprised to find this CD. Howland's and Pinnick's guitar playing kicks some serious ass! How refreshing to hear some talented and underrated guys do an album of '70s-style guitar jamming.
Really hot - captures the excitement of Howland's live solos; he and Chris real
author: Tim Bensch
This past summer I took my kids to see Chicago perform, and we were all absolutely blown away by the whole band and especially impressed with Keith Howland's solo work. Soon afterward my kids bought me the Chicago boxed set -- which I loved, especially the Stones of Sisyphus cuts -- but was disappointed that it didn't include some recent recordings that captured more of the intensity of the band's phenomenal solo talent. I was particularly hoping that Keith would have a chance to shine in the spirit of the nascent Chicago days with Terry. Anyway - I went to Chicago website to send a note, but instead found the link to HLMP and promptly bought a copy for my son - a serious rock guitar fan. We both were so impressed that I've ordered two more copies. Now if you could only add in some great horns and vocals (oh, wait, that would be like Chicago playing live...Hmmmm) I'd be in 7th Heaven! Keep the great music coming!
great talents
author: kim
cd is awsome , very talented people, cd was in great condition and sounds great too.
Swing and energic
author: Chardeau
It's really an awesome album with two great guitarist that doesn't bother us with only technic ( but they have ), but we can hear their soul in the music. On a final note, what a pleasure to hear again Pinnick that I appeciated the short complicity with Chicago
Wow! I The best record I bought in years. Music from the heart...
author: Jacques Bureau
I would buy anything from these guys. Diversity, Originality, Passion and Techniques; evrything is there. You just don't hear their music , you FEEL it.
Four diverisified players banging out great tunes
author: Kristy Fogelsinger
I would have to say it's tops. Each time I listen to it I hear a new guitar lick that temps my ears to listen deeper. Worth every penny and I am looking forward to the next project.
choice stuff for all rock guitar fans
author: Paul Richards
Balanced and diversified. Not to mention excellent production values. A very nice set of rock tunes and some of the best guitar playing you'll ever hear.
Who Says Chicago is an Oldies Band?
author: Chigordo
Chicago 28, Schmicago 28. Keith and Chris will blow you away with this guitar extreme experience. The classic incluences on both artists comes through clear, they each add their own signature to everything they play, and they appeal to modern listeners of metal and jazz. Like Chicago? Like guitars? Like good melodies? Buy This!
This CD screams GREAT TIME
author: Bruce Lomet (CHINASKI)
This CD screams GREAT TIME. Howland, Laug, Morrison & Pinnick get to the good stuff right off the bat - with the tastiest guitar licks, the coolest changes, and the most wicked grooves. For fans of the genre and all who appreciate good guitar work - check out HLMP.

Howland, Laug, Morrison & Pinnick