A guitar virtuoso, Jason Becker started out his career in Cacophony, a duo also featuring Marty Friedman. At 19 he became the guitarist for David Lee Roth and it seemed that the stage was set for Jason to pursue a stellar career. However, it was not to be and a persistent pain in Jason’s leg was diagnosed as Motor Neurone Disease. With a life expectancy of five years, the degenerative condition stripped Jason of his ability to play guitar, to walk, to talk and even to breathe on his own. And yet, over the twenty-nine years that have passed since that terrible diagnosis, Jason has steadfastly refused to give up hope. With the aid of his family (his father designed a system which would allow Jason to communicate via eye movement); Jason is able to painstakingly map out new music for session musicians to play on his behalf. It is a remarkable testament to his spirit, and to the unifying power of music, that Jason was able to produce Triumphant Hearts, an album with a veritable who’s who of rock and blues talent helping out.
The opening title track features the talents of Jason’s former Cacophony band mate Marty Friedman, alongside his cellist wife, Hiyori Okuda and Glauco Bertagnin. A gorgeous, neo-classical piece with an airy, soundtrack feel and restrained guitars, it acts as an overture to the album and it is a surprisingly emotional greeting. The lengthy, Hold on to love (Codany Holiday) is a bitter-sweet, biographical piece with lyrics that manage to both yearn for the past without succumbing to anger, whilst simultaneously looking to the future – “this flesh has much more to say”. It’s a remarkable piece of writing, from a remarkable man and it has a strong progressive vibe, with soulful vocals, epic solos and more building to a stunning climax. Next, the pastoral beauty of Fantasy Weaver (Jake Shimabukuro) takes the listener on a fantastic journey into the unknown. It’s the work of a man whose imagination is all that’s left to him, and it is all the more beautiful for the sense of longing that runs through it. Although the guests on the album are necessarily plentiful, Jason himself gets to make an appearance or two thanks to material resurfacing from the Cacophony era. As a result, Once upon a melody, another pastoral piece rich with the sound of classical instruments, features two Jason Becker solos which flash across the landscape like summer lightning. In stark contreast, the bright, explosive We are one (which also features Jason’s stunning guitar work) is a huge, funky piece that sounds like Dan Patlansky going head to head with Prince. It benefits greatly from Flipsyde vocalist Steve Knight, who holds his own against the guitar pyrotechnics. The first half of the record concludes with Magic Woman (Uli Jon Roth & Chris Broderick) a track which makes good use of Uli’s airy, fluid style. Another piece that is pure fantasy, what strikes the listener here, and across the record, is how remarkably unique and untainted by commercialism Jason Becker’s vision is. Such material would be remarkable in any hands but, when one considers the circumstances in which it was written, it is raised to the near-miraculous.
A brief cover of Blowin’ in the wind (Gary Rosenberg) is beautifully arranged and clearly means a great deal to Jason, before River of longing sees Joe Satriani joined by Aleks Sever, Guthrie Govan & Steve Morse for a mid-tempo, bluesy track with a dreamy feel. However, the album’s undisputed highlight is the remarkable Valley of fire, which features a stunning supporting cast of musicians including Michael Lee Firkins, Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa, Paul Gilbert, Neal Schon, Matthias Ia Eklundh, Marty Friedman, Greg Howe, Jeff Loomis, Richie Kotzen, Gus G. Steve Hunter & Ben Woods. What is remarkable, and what stands as a testament to Jason’s skills as an arranger, is that, although each guitarist brings their own unique skills to the mix, the overall piece is clearly a coherent composition and the guitar work is simply astounding. The final guest collaboration on the album sees Trevor Rabin deliver an impressive performance on River of Longing, a gently reflective piece that perfectly fits its title with liquid slide used to impressive effect. What follows is something of a treat for long-time fans of Jason’s work, who will be thrilled to hear his work on two outtakes from the Little ain’t enough sessions. The first of these, Taking me back is an electrifying blues-rock workout, whilst the second, Tell me no lies is a masterclass in gritty guitar and it leaves the listener slightly breathless. What strikes home is just how well these aged recordings have stood the test of time, underscoring just what a fearsome six-stringer Jason was. The album concludes, rather oddly, with a Chuck Zwicky remix of Hold on to love, which does little other than wash the original track in a warm layer of entirely unnecessary synth. It is followed by a 55 second snippet of a young Jason Becker, entitled You do it, which feels particularly schmaltzy in the wake of the aforementioned remix. These two tracks do the album something of a disservice and are entirely skippable.
Triumphant Hearts is, without doubt, a remarkable achievement. Proof of the remarkable resilience of the human spirit, it sees Jason Becker delivering a powerful body of work, overcoming a series of limitations that would be overwhelming for most people. The album is near perfect, and it is wonderful to see so many great names give their time and their skill to a most deserving project. The final two tracks, however, are misjudged and they do a disservice to the phenomenal Jason Becker pieces that precede them. Nonetheless, the overwhelming feeling here is one of adversity overcome, and fans of Jason’s work will be pleased to immerse themselves in the rich soundscapes the album has to offer. 9
