Fat Samba by Richard Burton - Vectordisc 2011 Richard Burton - Piano, keyboards, drum loops and organ Ray Ferretti - Electric guitar and bass Glenn Ferracone - Drums Ron Thomas - Keyboards Bobby Rose - Electric guitar Brent Shallcross - Electric guitar Paul Klinefelter - Acoustic Bass The CD Fat Samba is collection fourteen original pieces composed by Richard Burton, Ray Ferretti and Ron Thomas. 1. Fat Samba is electric samba featuring the soaring guitar melodies of Ray Ferretti. 2. Funk Five is based a modal funk groove in 5/4 with the killer unison line occurring once each minute. It is a perfect vehicle synthesizer solos by Richard Burton and Ron Thomas and a guitar solo by Ray Ferretti. Listen to Bobby Rose's ingenious rhythm guitar playing. 3. Frenzy Dance is an uptempo dance groove with Ray Ferretti's Leslie powered guitar lines. 4. Seedless is a bossa nova which was written in 1979 where steel drums meet distorted guitar melodies. 5. Sofi Rocks is a simple rocker which Ray Ferretti tears up on guitar. 6. Lydian Atmosphere is another vehicle Ray Ferretti's guitar playing over shifting lydian modes. 7. Mr. Duke is the short funk piece with duel solos by Richard Burton's electric piano and Ray Ferretti's guitar. 8. India is a complex weave of instruments over an E drone. Bobby Rose and Ray Ferretti on guitars, Richard Burton on various synthesizers and piano and Glenn Ferracone on drums. 9. Javier is a medium tempo rock ballad featuring the melodic guitar of Ray Ferretti and electric piano of Richard Burton. The rhythm is held down by the trio of Brent Shallcross, Paul Klinefelter and Glenn Ferracone. 10. Maurice is Earth, Wind & Fire meets Ray Ferretti's solo guitar. 11. Seven 13 features Richard Burton's organ and piano. 12. Ill Chill is another funk groove featuring Ron Thomas's melodic 13. Cycle is the rock version of the tune previously heard on Kristin Garson's Music Under The Influence. 14. Bloodwyn is a little Jethro Tull inspired waltz featuring Ray Ferretti, Glenn Ferracone and Richard Burton synthesizer. REVIEW FROM ABSTRACT LOGIX by Bill Meredith Like the late actor with whom he shares a name, Philadelphia-based keyboardist Richard Burton knows all about playing roles and parts within an ensemble cast. Fat Samba is only the second CD under Burton's name during a lengthy career of sideman and session work, but it includes frequent collaborators like guitarist Ray Ferretti and keyboardist Ron Thomas. While directing a project may be infrequent for Burton, his interaction with Ferretti, Thomas, and drummer Glenn Ferracone certainly jump-starts Fat Samba. The opening title track lives up to its name, with a thunderous intro flurry by Ferracone, textural washes by Burton, and searing solos by Ferretti. "Funk Five" then echoes Return To Forever. The 5/4-timed groove is anchored by Ferracone and Ferretti (who doubles on electric bass), and features dueling synthesizer solos by Burton and Thomas, plus a frenzied repeating unison guitar figure by Ferretti and Bobby Rose that recalls Al Di Meola. The disc's brisk pace slows afterward on pieces like "Seedless" (a bossa nova Burton wrote in 1979 that features him playing organ, steel drums and keyboard bass), "Lydian Atmosphere" (with Ferretti soloing amid the mesh created by Burton's keyboards and drum loops and Ferracone's drums) and "Mr. Duke," a short funk number reminiscent of George Duke through Burton's electric piano work. Things get more atmospheric during the second half. "India" features Burton's acoustic piano and droning synth figures, which accent Ferretti's ominous guitar lines. On "Seven 13," the guitarist downshifts into clean tones to accommodate Burton's organ and digital piano, Brent Shallcross' rhythm guitar and Paul Klinefelter's acoustic bass to create one of the CD's jazzier pieces. Yet things hardly end with a whimper. Burton's closing composition "Bloodwyn" is a 6/8-timed nod to Jethro Tull, and his electric piano, organ and keyboard bass provide the foundation. Ferretti wails like Tull's Martin Barre, and Ferracone's marching snare patterns echo that rock group's succession of creative drummers. The track even breaks into a Ferracone drum solo 90 seconds in, which fades out as Burton gives the drummer the CD's last word as well as the first. In so doing, this role-playing keyboardist gets points for the democratic direction of his second production.