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From John
Kelman;
From Michael Casano With a
background firmly rooted in progressive rock and progressive jazz,
bassist Richard Addison delivers Mood Swings, a broad program of fusion
which ought to garner wider recognition for his playing and, more
importantly, his strong compositions. The Addison
Project is a loose collective of musicians, gathered by Addison to
realize his diverse writing. From the opening track, “Sleepwalking”,
which places a Zappaesque head over a deep groove that Frank would
never have written, to the closing piece, “Controlled Freedom”, which
starts as a free-jazz piece but moves into a tender ballad for bass and
saxophone, then shifts into a peaceful piano/violin duet before
concluding in jarring electronic territory, Addison covers a lot of
ground. “The Muffin”
could easily fit into Steve Coleman’s M-Base book, with its frenetic
bass line and contrapuntal guitar/sax line. But that’s only the
beginning; as in most of Addison’s pieces there are many movements,
this time moving into an uptempo funk vamp that allows the musicians to
stretch out, especially Eric St-Laurent, who delivers a blistering
guitar solo before the piece returns to its M-Base roots. “Montée de
lait” is another uptempo funk tune which shows how well the group can
effortlessly navigate through shifting time signatures. Drummer
Stéphane Crytes lays down a thick groove to Addison’s popping and
slapping bass line. Robin
Boulianne’s violin introduces the title track, which pays homage to
Miles Davis’ “Tomaas”, from Tutu, but further expands on the melody.
Luc Aubry delivers a tasteful, Lyle Mays-informed piano solo. Dynamics shift
between acoustic and electric guitars in the Scofield-like groove of
“Le Grand-Bé (Wrath of Chateaubriand)”, before taking off into deep
funk territory with Philippe Lauzier’s saxophone screaming over an
almost heavy metal foundation. “Mceuet” is another M-Base tune, but
unlike much of Steve Coleman’s work, Addison doesn’t draw out the
groove endlessly; instead he keeps things interesting by working with
Crytes to constantly and subtly shift it. “10h10”, with
its string synth washes, violin solo and heavy pedal tone guitar power
chords, owes something to various King Crimson incarnations, but is
less abstruse. Throughout the
album, Addison provides a solid foundation. While he clearly has the
chops, this recording is not about meaningless displays of virtuosity;
rather it is about the compositions, and creating ensemble arrangements
that best present them. With Mood Swings, Richard Addison has created a
highly engaging album of progressive rock/jazz, with memorable
compositions that resonate long after the album is over. John Kelman / Jazz Review.com (October 2003) As the title
of the CD suggests Mood Swings explores various emotional
states, from the outrageously manic to the serenely introspective.
During the wild pursuit of these mood swings, accomplished bassist
Richard Addison, and company, expertly maneuver within a wide variety
of jazz and rock arrangements. Overall, this CD will mostly appeal to
fans of progressive jazz and fusion, as opposed to jazz purists, as the
rock moments often outshine the jazz moments in sheer power and
creativity. However, there is some absolutely beautiful jazz provided
via the title track, Mood Swings. The CD production and quality
of musicianship is outstanding. There is no gratuitous showmanship
here, as all instruments are played with precision and skill, and
nothing is overdone. The CD really
takes off with the high energy progressive track, Montee de Lait,
which contains a blast of nearly psychotic guitar solos and Addison's
steady bass. A fine example of a mood swing on this CD is the title
track Mood Swings, which follows the frenzy of Montee de
Lait. The violin of Robin Boulianne is the perfect glue that holds
this piece together, as it supplies both the emotional gravity and
ethereality to the music, as does Luc Aubry's piano.
By far, the
outstanding jazz piece, Controlled Freedom, is the best
composition on this CD. Central to this song is the piano expertise of
Pierre Nadeau. Nadeau's recording session with Richard Addison, which
was used in this composition, had taken place many years earlier, so
this contribution obviously provided the impetus for the entirety of
the song. I also appreciated the use of creative production techniques
in the piece, such as the inclusion of barely audible spoken passages
riding underneath the body of the music, and assorted samples and
electronic noises which were allowed to come to the surface without
overwhelming the entire composition. Excellent
work. Michael Casano / Jazz Review.com (November 2003) <-Previous review Next review -> |
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