Home » Jazz Musicians » Gongzilla

Gongzilla

Journalist Bill Milkowski called Gongzilla "simply mind-boggling." Gongzilla first released a series of mostly instrumental jazz/rock albums featuring second guitarists on each one, including jazz fusion legends Allan Holdsworth, David Torn, and David Fiuczynski. More recently, Gongzilla has included some U.S. jamband heroes in its live performances, like guitarist Chuck Garvey and percussionist Jim Loughlin of moe., and has emphasized vocals, crafting songs which fuse with improvisational rock. The new studio record includes the aforementioned Garvey as well as Jake Cinninger of Umphrey's McGee plus guitarist David "Fuze" Fiuczynski (Screaming Headless Torsos) and bassist Kai Eckhardt of Garaj Mahal! Contradictions and balance; Rowe and Lozaga sing cool songs that will singe your soul while balancing both the hyper precision and the rockin' mayhem this band is capable of live.

Tags

299
Album Review

Gongzilla: Five Even

Read "Five Even" reviewed by John Kelman


Sometimes you've got to change to survive. Gongzilla--the offshoot of the late Pierre Moerlen's Gong that was an offshoot of the original Franglo group Gong--last released Live (Lolo) in 2001. Even more fusion-centric than Moerlen's Gong, that disc featured GZ co-founders Bon Lozaga (guitar), Hansford Rowe (bass) and Benoit Moerlen (vibes, xylophone) in the company of American power players Vic Stevens (drums) and David Fiuczynski (guitar). While there's no shortage of fusion chops on Five Even, GZ--sans Moerlen ...

166
Album Review

Gongzilla: East Village Sessions

Read "East Village Sessions" reviewed by Walter Kolosky


I remember very clearly checking out the band Gongzilla’s progenitor, Gong, many years ago during the heyday of the fusion movement. The artsy European album covers and sophisticated surnames listed on the jackets offered much promise. However, that band never quite cleared the hurdles, and so through its various and sundry incarnations over the years, I have ignored its output. But if East Village Sessions gives any indication as to what I may have been missing over the last two ...

166
Album Review

Gongzilla: Live

Read "Live" reviewed by Scott Andrews


Americans Bon Lozaga (guitar) and Hansford Rowe (bass) and Frenchman Benoit Moerlen (vibes, xylophone) formed the nucleus of the fusion band Gongzilla in the mid 1990s, and recorded the studio CDs Suffer and Thrive with guest guitarists Allan Holdsworth and David Torn. The 2001 Gongzilla release Live was recorded direct to 2-track at a festival in Quebec City, Canada, on June 27, 1998, with drummer Vic Stevens, who played on the Gongzilla debut CD Suffer. In the Gongzilla tradition of ...

191
Album Review

Gongzilla: Suffer

Read "Suffer" reviewed by John W. Patterson


Yeah I now, this release is a bit on the older side of things but great fusion is ageless and a joyful listen no matter when it is discovered. The group Gong has mutated itself gladly through an endless morph of musicians. From deep in the way-back machine’s files we find You with Steve Hillage on axe to its days with fusion legend Allan Holdsworth on Expresso and with Bon Lozaga riffing it up on Time is the Key the ...

Read more articles
163

Performance / Tour

Gong Announce Rare UK November Tour

Gong Announce Rare UK November Tour

Source: Noble PR

London - To celebrate their 40th Anniversary of live touring, GONG, the progressive/psychedelic rock band originally founded in 1967 by Australian musician Daevid Allen will join forces with guitarist Steve Hillage and other core members from the original line-up for a rare UK tour in November 2009.

The UK tour will celebrate the first time Gong have toured the UK since 2000. Tickets are on sale from today (February 25). Ticket Hotline: 08700 603 777 or book online from www.seetickets.com ...

139

Performance / Tour

Gongzilla January Tour

Gongzilla January Tour

Source: JamBase

GZ's FIRST TOUR OF 2009!

Gongzilla Gongzilla is fired up for their January run, which will take them from Georgia to Connecticut. The big news is the addition of drummer Curtis Wingfield (The Afromotive, Bellyfull, The New Familiars) who officially joins GZ for this tour supporting the new studio record, Five Even (see JamBase's rave review here), which features great guest guitarists Chuck Garvey (moe.), Jake Cinninger (Umphrey's McGee) and David “Fuze" Fiuczynski (Screaming Headless Torsos) with bassist Kai Eckhardt ...

184

Recording

Gongzilla:Five Even

Gongzilla:Five Even

Source: JamBase

By: Dennis Cook

They come on like some thick aphrodisiac, Hansford Rowe's bass seeping into your crevices and warming your cockles, putting the “skinny in your dip," while the guitars of Bon Lozaga and Jameison Ledonio run their fingers through your hair and massage your back. Fragrant as fresh pines and slippery as an oiled eel, this is a new Gongzilla. While their DNA includes some of the finest progressive rock and jazz-fusion of the last quarter century, this luxuriously ...

160

Performance / Tour

Gongzilla's NAMM Jam

Gongzilla's NAMM Jam

Source: All About Jazz

GZ at the Troubadour! Friday January 18, 2008

Gongzilla's 1st NAMM Jam will be held at the legendary Troubadour club in West Hollywood! GZ will be taking advantage of the NAMM music convention to have a little get together in LA with some of their friends. Delta Nove will kick things off with a slammin' drum set of world-funk.

And then we're jammin'...

Don Preston (Zappa) Jim Loughlin (moe.) Jeff Pevar (Phil Lesh, Crosby Stills & ...

127

Performance / Tour

Gongzilla News: Official Umphrey's After-Shows in October

Gongzilla News: Official Umphrey's After-Shows in October

Source: All About Jazz

Gongzilla is proud to be part of The Echo Project, Atlanta's first annual eco-responsible music and arts festival happening October 12-14. Hope you can join us there on Friday the 12th!

The Echo Project

Gongzilla's Official Umphrey's After-shows in October:

Tuesday, 16 October 2007 Cary Street Cafe 2631 West Cary Street Richmond, Virginia 23220 804.353.7445 show: 10:00 pm two 90-minute sets (three miles from Toad's Place) ...

98

Event

Gongzilla performing at World Cafe Live 8/21

Gongzilla performing at World Cafe Live 8/21

Source: All About Jazz

Venue: World Cafe Live For tix or call 215-222-1400 Date of Show: 8/21 Sun Showtime: 9pm Dinner / Doors: 8pm Gongzilla with special guest The Fractals Artist Website: http://www.lolorecords.com/gongzilla.html Artist Bio: Another branch in the Gong family tree, Gongzilla was a reassembly of several of the members of early Pierre Moerlin's Gong and played a similar style jazz-rock fusion. Formed in 1994 by guitarist Ben Lozaga and bassist Hansford Rowe, ...

175

Video / DVD

Gongzilla DVD with Gary Husband available on AbstractLogix.com

Gongzilla DVD with Gary Husband available on AbstractLogix.com

Source: All About Jazz


Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Five Even

Lolo Records
2008

buy

East Village Sessions

Lolo Records
2003

buy

Live

Lolo Records
2002

buy

Suffer

Lolo Records
2000

buy

Thrive

Lolo Records
1996

buy

Suffer

Lolo Records
1995

buy

Similar

Allan Holdsworth
guitar, electric
Return to Forever
band / ensemble / orchestra
Mahavishnu Orchestra
band / ensemble / orchestra
David Torn
guitar, electric
Dixie Dregs
band / ensemble / orchestra

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.