Gate Fold Limited Edition CD from Brandon Lopez and Tombed Visions
"As one of the most in-demand players of his generation, it’s absurdly surprising that this is Brandon Lopez’s first album as leader. And although the compositional themes that act as a root for the three cuts that make up ‘Holy, Holy’ are from Lopez’s pen, it is a testament to his ideals of complete collaboration that the material on the record is developed wholly by an astonishingly well-recruited trio. Having Chris Corsano sitting behind the drums is a clear stroke of genius, an improviser whose restless spirit mirrors Lopez’s perfectly, sharing a similar resume of playing with the most vital players in the Global improvised music scene. It’s a real rarity to hear Corsano play with a pianist, which has directed his percussive choices into a deeply swing-orientated playing, keeping the music resolutely propulsive whilst losing none of his trademark inventiveness. Sam Yulsman's piano playing shifts from cascading blocks of sound to darkly inquisitive tone clusters, always rooted in deeper end of the melodic spectrum which act as perfect foil for Lopez’s dizzying arco lines. There is a cerebral kind of spiritualism that colours the music on ‘Holy, Holy’, made evident by Lopez’s impassioned vocal doubling of bowed bass work at several points throughout and, barring a few brief soloist excursions, the trio play throughout in total communion. Nowhere is this more clear than on the closing track of the record, where Lopez’s beautifully wonderous chromatic song ascends further and further into the reaches of the sky. Corsano and Yulsman gallop around the climbing riff with their own slightly out-of-step reflections on the melody which, far from jarring, create a kind of overlapping rising tension towards the ecstatic. And that for me is what ‘Holy, Holy’ is all about: the ecstasy of interplay."
Includes unlimited streaming of The Mess - Holy Holy
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Composed by Brandon, fleshed into being by Chris and Sam.
Simply amazing to hear a new album with Wadada and Ewart!! ...And Reed rounds out this trio beautifully.
Just gave it my first spin. Absolutely magical. jeffrey maurer
St Celfer returns with tracks culled from a series of live shows, each one a showcase for his inventive experimentalism. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 26, 2023
The energy contained within each of these tracks was just what I was looking for although I couldn’t possibly have known that until I found it! Exhilarating, exciting and enthralling! Jimmy Wunts