Explosive collective spontaneous jazz Ryan Meagher – EVIL TWIN: I can honestly say that guitarist Ryan Meagher surprised me with the great improvisational works on this new album that releases tomorrow, August 17th, 2018… as I listen to the excellent and intricate percussion intro to “Blocks Better“, it’s clear that he and his folks (Ryan Meagher – electric, baritone, and fretless guitars; Mike Gamble – electric guitar; Tim Willcox – tenor sax; Lee Elderton – alto sax, soprano sax; Charlie Doggett – drums and Tim DuRoche – drums, tiny instruments) were on a sort of “improv excursion” here – and it’s simply wonderful… full of nuances and woven through and through with little delights that you won’t catch unless you listen to it (at least for your first sitting) with headphones on… unique, too, in that it was actually “composed” by Clay Giberson by weaving solo improvisations together.
I’m very fortunate that the group is just down the road in Portland, because they will be performing in this year’s Montavilla Jazz Festival, which I’ll be attending in “press mode”… I’m not sure which selection(s) they will perform, but I’m certainly hoping they are able to do pieces like the stunning 4:03 “Covfefe“… what’s most notable about this song, as well as all the others, is the flawless recording quality… it’s often very difficult to capture the sonic presence as intricately as they do here.
The album clocks in at 1:13, so there’s a lot to comprehend… it took me two listens through the album to choose my personal favorite… it’s the closer, “Monster Truck“, that gets my vote… you can easily picture those humongous wheels tearing up the sod… highly creative and full of life!
I give Ryan and his musical cohorts a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.99 for this fantastic improvised jazz set. Get more information on the Portland Jazz Composer’s Ensemble web page for this release. Rotcod Zzaj
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