Issue #1
The Only Internet Magazine Dedicated Solely to Fusion and World Music.
Issue #1 |
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The Only Internet Magazine Dedicated Solely to Fusion and World Music. |
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Copyright 2008 Xpanse Publishing, LLC. |
The British progressive jazzers The Bird Architects should be given an award for creative song titles alone. Tune names like “Martha’s Claw,” “Burt Glares at Monty” and “Virtual Dentistry” represent the type of twisted thinking and fun I really look for in musicians. The Bird Architects’ latest album is much more than just a collection of clever song monikers though. Gone is not easy listening music. Even the most accessible pieces are fiery fusion or esoteric journeys. The intricate and swinging opening cut, “Under the Influence,” is one of the best fusion numbers I have heard in quite some time. It could stand toe to toe with any Mahavishnu tune. Certain aspects of the piece are also reminiscent of Jan Hammer’s The First Seven Days era. Electric violinist Peter Evans and saxophonist Aaron Standon are locked-in and they are not going to let go. There is a jazz freeness in this tune, and more so on others, in-between the ingratiating lines that Mahavishnu, Hammer or even Weather Report would never quite include. “Mumbai Blue” is another highlight on which Messrs. Evans and Standon and drummer Marco Anderson and bassist Mark Turner lead us on a psychic hike through the trails of the Carnatic musical mind. The intensity level is cranked to 11 for most of this trip. You may be taken aback by some of the misdirection and daringness heard on Gone. But if you like adventurous music that isn’t laid out like some brown gravy on a plate for you to sop up – you should find plenty of tasty morsels to chew on. –Walter Kolosky
