Jason Becker

Triumphant He arts

Music Theories Recordings ✪✪✪✪✪

When the topic of rock virtuosity crops up, talk always gets round to Jason Becker. Jason came to fame in the ‘80s via Shrapnel, and the stunning instrumentals with Marty Friedman on Cacophony. He then rose to be in David Lee Roth’s band (check out A Little Ain’t Enough) before ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) cut his performing career short. These days, Jason still writes and records but with others on guitar. On Triumphant Hearts he’s got a staggering roster of shredders involved ranging from Steve Vai and Paul Gilbert to Jeff Loomis and Marty Friedman. Across 14 tracks there’s a wealth of instrumentals spanning emotive ballads (title track with Marty Friedman and violinist Glauco Bertagnin), classical marvels (Magic Woman featuring Uli Jon Roth and Chris Broderick) and Jason himself (Once Upon A Melody showcases two top solos from his Cacophony days). For sheer guitarist numbers, the wonderful Valley Of Fire features Vai, Bonamassa, Paul Gilbert, Neal Schon, Marty Friedman, Michael Lee Firkins, Mattias Eklundh, Greg Howe, Jeff Loomis, Guthrie Govan, Richie Kotzen, Gus G, Steve Hunter and Ben Woods. What a line-up (Guthrie’s solo in particular is worth checking out)! As for songs, it’s hard not to be touched by Hold On To Love sung by Codany Holiday, featuring solos by Andrew Jay and tapping virtuoso Daniele Gottardo. What a wonderful album!