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The man, the myth...Jeff Cannata has over the years created somewhat of a cult following in Europe. Judging from reader feedback as well as observations over the years, it seems as if everybody that has heard Jeff Cannata's work is stunned by his talent. And rightly so. With 'classic' albums such as ArcAngel and arguably his best, 'Images of Forever', he will forever have his true and devoted fans. Now almost five years have passed since his last effort 'Watching The World' was released and now the world is waiting with anticipation wondering: Will there be a new release from Cannata? I tracked the man down and here's what he had to say about his past, present and a teaser about what's to come. Jeff Cannata was born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut USA. Among his earliest influences belong Elvis Presly and Gene Krupa, which he says initially made him begin with music and that it was merely 'a matter of feeling' that got him started. The early years In 1969 Jeff, who at the time played (drums) with the band Christopher Hawke, and Michael Soldan (keyboards) and Bob Gianotti (guitar) who were playing with the band Buckle, started a collaboration together with bassist Phil Stone which turned into the original Jasper Wrath line-up. Bands like Yes, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and other bands were part of their influences. The Yes influence has a story of it's own, as Jeff back in the early seventies met Yes' Rick Wakemen pre-show backstage where he found out about the mellotron, which obviously had drawn his attention. In 1970, Jasper Wrath released their only full-length album but still created a following back in the early seventies, or as Jeff says: 'Jasper Wrath had an enormous following between 1970 and 1976. About a few thousand at out door shows, several hundred at indoor clubs.' In the mid-seventies, Jasper Wrath recruited vocalist James Christian (House of Lords), who at the time played with the local band Magic. Despite being a popular act in America, Jasper Wrath eventually fell apart. One can wonder was it because of the regular 'musicial differences' or if there were any other reasons, but as Jeff says: 'Our likes and dislikes musically were very similar at the time. The breakup was more or less a need, for some, of commercial appeal instead of artistic. The band had simply come to an end.' Any chance there will ever be a reunion or likewise? 'We've been asked by some of the New Haven radio stations to play at their summer concerts, but... is it possible? Yes and no. James (Christian) lives in LA, Phil in Florida, Michael works in his own band, Jeff Batter produces and writes Country, and Bob Gianotti is ready and willing. Putting the material back together would be very involved. But we'll see what happens' The ArcAngel Project After the demise of Japser Wrath, Jeff moved onto work on a new project, which eventually would turn out to become the classic 'ArcAngel'-album (Portrait/CBS, 1983). This marked a new direction compared to what Jeff had done with Jasper Wrath some years back. Jeff tells the story: 'Between the breakup of Jasper Wrath and the ArcAngel record I began to work more with guitar and keyboards to develop my writing capabilities. Along with Michael Soldan, we wrote a number of songs that were presented to the A&R staff at CBS who later signed to Portrait/CBS. And since there was no live band, I decided to take on the lead vocal duties. My intention was to do sort of an 'Alan Parsons Project' project. Songs off that record that I like is 'Stars' and 'King of the Mountain'. Images Of Forever Despite the fact that the ArcAngel project never took off, Jeff eagerly continued to write songs for a new album. This time he showed yet another side of his talent with an even more keyboard-oriented outing under the title 'Images Of Forever' (Carrere, 1988). And it also was the mark of his first completely solo effort. Why was the 'Images Of Forever'- album released under your own name? 'It seemed to be mo
