Daryl Stuermer is the former lead guitarist for Jean-Luc Ponty (1975-78), Genesis (1978-92), and is a current member of Phil Collins' various bands. Given that mix, you might guess that Retrofit is in the jazz rock genre. And right you would be. Stuermer has fused many different musical influences into an eclectic electric guitar style. As he states, "When I started playing, I was mainly into rock 'n' roll, doing things by The Rolling Stones and The Ventures. My biggest guitar influences were Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. I was learning all of Bloomfield's licks along with B. B. King, copying their solos note for note. Then I began listening to Howard Roberts, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, and George Benson, and later I became heavily influenced by great fusion players like Larry Coryell and John McLaughlin." That's quite a group of guitar heroes from rock, blues, jazz, and fusion. The man was like a sponge absorbing lessons from the greats. All the songs on Retrofit were written by Stuermer plus he plays guitars, keyboards, percussion programming, and bass. Other musicians are Kostia - acoustic and electric piano plus additional keyboards, Eric Harvey - bass, and John Calaco - drums and percussion. Band members are all on the same page as the leader and provide more than adequate backing. Stuermer has a good ear for a tune and his songs run the gamut of emotions. He adds some hip-hop, bop, pop, and blues to his songs, demonstrating a versatility that is exciting. His guitar tone is warm and singing, and his solo ideas are consistently good. My favorite song on the cd is "The Least You Can Do," a catchy number Stuermer has recorded on a prior Phil Collins effort. Retrofit is an album that looks to the future while resting solidly on the artist's past influences and experience. Check it out, it's worth listening to and sharing with others. [Pick this up at www.abstractlogix.com.]
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