Ex-Megadeth guitarist Jeff Young to release solo debut in early 2009
Former Megadeth guitarist Jeff Young will release his solo debut, "Equilibrium", in early 2009. The CD, which was mixed by Michael Wagener (Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, King'S X, Extreme, Skid Row), will feature guest appearances by the following musicians:* Los Angeles vocal phenom Debby Holiday (John Waite, Rod Stewart)
* Brazilian singer/guitarists Badi Assad and Lenine
* Australian singer Gilli Moon
* Drummer Matt Chamberlain (Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, David Bowie)
* Fretless bassist Tony Franklin (Jimmy Page, The Firm, Blue Murder)
* Brazilian percussionists Marcos Suzano (Sting, Lenine) and Simone Soul (Chico Cesar)
Four advance tracks from "Equilibrium" are now streaming at www.zenguitarist.net:
* "Calling Jupiter" featuring Debby Holiday, Matt Chamberlain, Tony Franklin, Gilli Moon
* "Taranta por Drea" (instrumental interlude)
* "Liquid Voices" featuring Gilli Moon, Matt Chamberlain, Tony Franklin, Marcos Suzano
* "Entrelace" Rio Mix (bonus non-album alternate mix featuring vocal duet with Lenine and Badi Assad, percussion by Simone Soul)
Home studio rehearsal video footage of Jeff Young performing "a very early and raw version" of the original song "Angelina" can be viewed below. The top of Young's 1998 Manuel Bellido flamenco "blanca" guitar crafted in Granada, Spain gets a good beating thanks to a flamenco technique known as the golpe. There's also a fair bit of funk bass popping and slapping thrown in for good measure. The final recorded version, which will be included on "Equilibrium", features Brazilian percussion by Marcos Suzano (Lenine, Sting), lead vocal by Badi Assad and flamenco palmas by Paco and Yolanda Arroyo.
Jeff's entire career with Megadeth was spent recording and touring in support of the band's 1988 platinum-selling album "So Far, So Good...So What!" Following his stint with Megadeth, Jeff began contributing the "Fingerprints" column for Guitar magazine. For a portion of the 1990s, Jeff stepped away from his career to deal with the untimely deaths of first his father and later his mother while immersing himself in the further study of classical, flamenco, gypsy jazz and other world music varieties. In 1998, he resurfaced with new Brazilian musical partner, Badi Assad. Together, the duo crafted exotic soundscapes for their first collaboration, Badi Assad's "Chameleon". The album, co-written, arranged, and produced by Jeff, introduced their acoustic-world-fusion sounds to diverse audiences worldwide. Opening concerts for renowned artists, including Joe Cocker and Cassandra Wilson, as well as performances on 1999's Lilith Fair and Farm Aid 2000, are testament to the considerable cross-over appeal of Badi and Jeff's "new world music" explorations. In 2003, the track "Waves" from "Chameleon" was featured in the Michael and Kirk Douglas film "It Runs in the Family", as well as on the movie's soundtrack.