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Canada

Richard Addison, living in Montreal, have been involved in several progressive rock bands from the mid eighties. Having touched as much in « Mystery » as in the jazz band « Sojourn », he is pushing now a hybrid of Jazz-Prog-Canterbury-RIO influences in its own project. Aggressive rhythms, Addison works with complex and aggressive grooves that incorporate avant-gardists orchestrations and create a very characteristic sound.

Addison is surrounded by Stephane Crytes on drums, David Gauthier on electric and acoustic guitars, Michel St.-Pere on the electric guitars, Philippe Lauzier on alto sax, Dany Roy on tenor sax, Luc Aubry on the piano and keyboards, Mario Di Blasio on the electronic drums, Robin Boulianne on the violins, and Pierre Nadeau also on the piano.

A band filled of talent and a disc that, in spite of the amount of implied instruments, has a clean and dense surprising sound. Music is constructed from solid riffs of guitar that forms a counterpoint to the bass lines of Addison, while a treatment of keyboards very Canterbury transports us to the glorious days of National Health. Slight sax, sometimes extinguished and aggressive per moments. Mood Swings is a perfect CD for which who want to enjoy more a more experimental progressive rock as well as to enjoy the dynamism that the fusion contributes to the auditory experience.

As in the title « Mood Swings », at first sight it could seem a sensual jazz and lounge but Addison modifies it through many sonorous experiments. « After All » also shows some step changes that maintains the intrigued listener. In fact, at the calm moments, the listener can really feel the progressive roots of the band.

With a clear and crystalline sound, it must be experimented to a high volume, I am sure that « Mood Swings » will please much more the jazz fans than proggers.

Richard Zywotkiewicz  (November 2003)

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