This neat little collection of improv
sessions from Chapman Stick player Steve
Hahn, drummer Joe Diamo, guitarist Jeff Miller,
and alto sax player Bill Janssen is a complex,
dissonant feast of scrumptuous progressive jazz
fusion. Fans of the artists and bands from the famed
ECM label will revel in the dark and intricate sounds
contained on this CD.
If you can imagine a head-on collission
between 80's era King Crimson, The Soft Machine,
Jan Garbarek, and Bill Frisell, you kind of
get a feel for what you are in store for here.
The sneaky sax of Janssen snakes around the
intricate lines of Hahn and Miller on the driving
"Invitation", while the 13 minute "Sweet" is
a Crimson/jazz gem with lots of complex zaniness
from Hahn's Chapman Stick. There's some smooth,
atmospheric fusion on "Troublesome", featuring
Janssen's melodic alto, while "Mahaja" contains some
dissonant and distorted guitar work from Miller and
awesome, wailing sax leads again from Janssen. The
ten-minute title track contains a myriad of sounds and
textures (coming across like an electric version
of Oregon) that really shows off the skills of
the whole band.
HipGnosis was a pleasant surprise, and
considering that these sessions are mostly
improvisations, the recording as a whole comes
across quite seamless and focused. Fans of jazzy
fusion will find much to like here for sure.
This neat little collection of improv
sessions from Chapman Stick player Steve
Hahn, drummer Joe Diamo, guitarist Jeff Miller,
and alto sax player Bill Janssen is a complex,
dissonant feast of scrumptuous progressive jazz
fusion. Fans of the artists and bands from the famed
ECM label will revel in the dark and intricate sounds
contained on this CD.
