• What: Joe Satriani, in concert.
• When: 8 p.m. Jan. 11.
• Where: Roseland Theater, 8 N.W. Sixth Ave., Portland.
• Cost: $35 or $55 through TicketsWest, 800-992-8499 or ticketswest.com.
• Information: http://www.roselandpdx.com.
The instrumental rock music that guitar master Joe Satriani makes as a solo artist is quite a bit sleeker, smoother and more involved than the straight-forward, riff-heavy rock he creates in the band Chickenfoot.
Yet Satriani’s time writing and recording with Chickenfoot band mates Sammy Hagar (former Van Halen lead singer), Michael Anthony (former Van Halen bassist) and Chad Smith (drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) on that group’s 2009 self-titled CD had a direct effect on Satriani’s new solo CD, “Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards.”
His experience with Chickenfoot spurred Satriani to try a free-wheeling live approach to recording his newest solo release.
On the 12 albums he has put out since launching his solo career in 1986, Satriani has often recorded a good number of his parts in his own home studio, then had other musicians record their parts in an outside studio.
• What: Joe Satriani, in concert.
• When: 8 p.m. Jan. 11.
• Where: Roseland Theater, 8 N.W. Sixth Ave., Portland.
• Cost: $35 or $55 through TicketsWest, 800-992-8499 or ticketswest.com.
• Information: <a href="http://www.roselandpdx.com">http://www.roselandpdx.com</a>.
Satriani still made extensive use of his home studio, but the basis of “Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards” was live performance, alongside the musicians he recruited for the CD: keyboadist Mike Keneally, bassist Allen Whitman and drummer Jeff Campitelli.
“I’ll give you a good example. On the song ‘Littleworth Lane,’ all of the electric guitars and organ were recorded by me at home,” he said of this warm ballad. “But when we went into the studio that night to do that, the guys are playing live, including myself — I’m playing acoustic guitar — and we were playing live to these prerecorded tracks.
“And we’d do maybe 10 takes, and each time we’d do a take, we’d try something different. I’d change my guitar, Jeff changes his style of drumming, Allen picks up a different bass and says, ‘Let me try something different.’ Mike Keneally sometimes would play piano, and other times he’d go and play organ, and I’d use my recorded piano. So there’s a lot of liveliness that’s going on around these prerecorded tracks.”
Recording live in the studio dovetailed with Satriani’s other primary objective for “Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards”: He was determined to communicate the emotions he was feeling in his playing.
He had gone through a busy two years of touring, starting with his solo tour behind his 2008 CD, “Professor Satchifunkilus and the Musterion of Rock.” Then came Chickenfoot, followed by a stint on the “Experience Hendrix” tour.
“I really felt like I had been through so many cathartic musical events, and then there were events in my personal life,” Satriani said. “My mother passed away last December. That was extremely sudden, and it was very difficult for my family to handle. So I knew I had to write about that in some way, maybe not directly. But I knew that it was going to be part of what was in my heart as I was writing and recording, so I really wanted to make sure I got it out because the worst thing for me, I guess, is the feeling that I’m making music, but I’m not feeling it.”
Satriani said he is pleased with “Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards,” and with good reason.
He delivers his usual parcel of hard-hitting but highly melodic rockers (“Premonition,” “Light Years Away” and “Pyrrhic Victoria”), gets funky on “Dream Song” (where his playing evokes the liquid tones of Jeff Beck) and gets futuristic on the sleek “Wormhole Wizards.”
As always, Satriani’s playing is highlighted, as he shows again why he is considered one of rock’s very best guitarists. And while his albums have always had plenty of life, he finds an especially sharp balance between energy and polish on “Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards.”
Satriani has Keneally, Whitman and Campitelli with him for his tour, and he is trying to craft a set that includes fan favorites, new songs and a few tunes for hard-core fans that see multiple shows. But in the end, he said he tries to make sure his show represents where he’s at as an artist at this point.
“The main concern is to put together a good show,” Satriani said. “Whatever it is that you put together, get committed to it and make it the best show that you want, and enjoy it so when you’re into this thing, and you’re on your 150th show, you’re still hitting the stage very excited about playing it. That’s what the audience, I think, ultimately wants to see. They really want to see you dig in and get off and give them a great show.”
