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Astereotypical is Pachora's fourth album in six years, but all
four of these musicians have played together
over the last decade in endless variations, most notably
with Dave Douglas and Tim Berne--but also in their own
exciting groups, as on Chris Speed's Yeah No and Jim
Black's Alasnoaxis. Their work with Pachora generally
showcases a tasteful, flowing jazz sound, with strong
Balkan, Middle-Eastern, and even African inspirations,
and they don't really break from that formula here. It's a
warm record, an upbeat record that mostly showcases a
group sound instead of solo prowess.
The majority of the tunes are on the short side--the
longest running under six minutes,
which keeps everything very tight. What little solo
space there is seems to be filled by Chris Speed's high,
warm clarinet. Skuli Sverrison's bass work is also particularly resonant.
"Drifting" is a real highlight. The first minute features
Brad Shepik's beautiful guitar and Sverrison's bass locked
into a tight groove. At the one-minute mark, Black joins in
with some nice hand drum work, and at two minutes
Speed slides quietly into the mix, which builds exquisitely.
The song is only three minutes and twelve seconds
long, but that's three minutes and twelve seconds of pure
heaven. I had to play it again as soon as it was over.
However, in general, too many of the songs seemed
to concentrate excessively on beauty and not enough on
adventure. I would have enjoyed hearing the band stretch
out on a few more tracks, like they do on "Push," which has
a much more experimental, electric rock-type feel and
explores a heavier world than any of the other pieces here.
In the end, though, it does sound a little silly to complain
that the record is just a little too beautiful.
Winter & Winter on the web: www.allegro-music.com.
This review originally appeared in
All About Jazz: Los Angeles.
~ Jeff LeVine
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Track Listing: Romanics, Bushka Lounge, Klink, Snap, Push, Howl, Drifting, Little Theater, Nyla, Rider, Silencio,
Mexahata
Personnel: Jim Black- percussion, drums, pianicca; Chris
Speed- clarinet; Skuli Sverrisson- electric and acoustic
bass; Brad Shepik- tamboura, guitar, electric saz
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