Back in 2006 Trevor lent his talents to a project helmed by Don Harper, who has been a longtime colleague of Trevor's as a member of his scoring production team, and I consider the track he played on to be one of the great unsung classics of Trevor's career, a link between past and present, the way in which his film scoring sensibilities began influencing his writing overall, and the true breadth and depth of his playing.
It is one of those moments which again proves Trevor possesses the finest of jazz sensibilities in an era when many considered him merely the purveyor of pop hooks, guitar cliches and Music To Watch Explosions By.
But as usual, all those people are dead wrong.
Don't take my word for it, though...here are Don Harper's impressions:
"I came up with the idea to do an Americana piece that allowed him to interact with the orchestra and yet allow him the space to do his "Trevor" thing, really not knowing what I might expect. I sent him the orchestral tracks and let him go. When I listened to the tracks (and peeled myself off the back wall of my studio) I was actually shocked at the energy in the first movement and the sensitivity in the second. Understand, the project is not particularly commercial and eclectic to say the least, but the emotion of what Trevor played shocked and surprised me. Surprised because, I knew from working with him, what his rock and classical abilities were but I had no idea of the Jazz sensibilities he would bring to the composition. The back half starts off in a Kenny Burrell vibe and goes from there to...I have no idea. Who knew? I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I think he's just getting warmed up!"
Warmed-up indeed...when we consider what was yet to come.
There are not enough adjectives to describe the absolute beauty of Trevor's playing on this piece, and as I am not one for piling them on just because, I'll leave you with this: those unfamiliar with this piece can now experience a bit of Trevor's creative mindset as he created Jacaranda, but in a somewhat different milieu in regards to the orchestral arrangement. However, the combination is indeed inspired and something Trevor is not only well-versed in, but entirely sympathetic to. He shows that he is capable of a variety of emotions: subtlety and restraint, passion and power, serene melodicism and fiery fretwork.
(Okay that was perhaps a bit much...but it's worth it to praise this piece of genius.)
I have many desires in regards to Trevor's instrumental output, and one of them is to hear an entire album of this kind of music, but even one track like it in future would be a beautiful thing.
from Don Harper's Oceana Orchestra's 2007 release Dream & Variations
"Where Do We Go From Here?" featuring Trevor Rabin
