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Blotto
Singles Collection 2004-2007 |
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Tracklist |
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01 - For your sleepless night
02 - Makam Yegah
03 - Turkish Van
04 - Smokin' with Ginger Cigarette
05 - Cornfield with Cypresses
06 - MUGI Dance
07 - SAKANA-TORIund Hunderwasser-haus
08 - Green Claw
09 - Jungle Boogie
10 - The Great Construction including Theme of Kaminari-Marathon
11 - Kino |
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Review |
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Japan's underground jazz elite have an incestuous habit of playing in each other's bands and projects, forming a entire web of pedigreed supergroups in the process. Vincent Atmicus, led by drummer Yoshigaki Yasuhiro (also of Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden and ROVO) and including veteran saxophonist Kikuchi Naruyoshi (cohort of UA's on Cure Jazz) and many others, not only shares this pedigree but its debut album serves up a dense, varied offering of its musicians at their finest. Rather than focusing singly on the avant-garde or jazz-influenced post-rock, Vincent Atmicus incorporates traditional music from all over the world into its own brand of jazz for an album that skirts convention but remains melodic and accessible.
The most engaging aspect of the compositions on Vincent I is their continuous evolution into grander and often surprising dimensions. "For your sleepless night" opens the album with a polyrhythmic drum solo and slowly introduces a Copland-esque folksy melody against an acid jazz backdrop. The melody later rears its head with a grandness likened to the composer's famous "Hoe-Down." That's not the finale for "sleepless," as it quietly segues into a hypnotic violin-led middle-eastern theme that subtly morphs back to the familiar Americana.
"For your sleepless night" is about par for the course with VI's longer fare. The middle-eastern and American folk motifs make reprise appearances - the former in the more ethnic "Makam Yegah" and again mixed with a punchier traditional jazz style on "Turkish Van." The band indulges in many more styles throughout the album, from 20th century classical to Irish dance music and drum and bass. To hold the listener's attention span, VI intersperses its longer tracks with shorter, experimental numbers of a more whimsical than serious nature.
Rather than sounding like a hackneyed mash-up of jazz and world music, Vincent Atmicus's take on each of these styles plays like a natural and organic extension of the ensemble's basic big band sound, all held together by the virtuosic percussion section. Without a doubt, VI's superior membership makes this recording possible and lends a high degree of versatility. Nine musicians contributed to this album, including two on the traps. The percussion section, when not laying down complex rhythms, is always adding extra flourishes with a broad arsenal of instruments to solidify the mood or add gravity.
Of course, the other members stand out just as easily. Saxophonist Naruyoshi shines on "Smokin' with Ginger Cigarette" with his polished soloing. Violinists Katsui Yuji and Ota Keisuke add an exotic sound, especially when they electrify their instruments. When they take over the melody with the two trombonists and Yoshigaki on trumpet, VI almost begins to sound like a chamber ensemble.
Vincent I is an impressive debut album that manages to balance consistency with its adventurous side. Vincent Atmicus has a knack for knowing how long to let its melodies simmer and when to put a lid on experimentation before it becomes tiresome. As a result, they've brought traditional jazz and the avant-garde together for an album that will please fans of both worlds. |
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