3 items-Dan Phillips Trio/Matthew Lux/Ben Thigpen

[neuroticdog]

Happy Sunday!

Here are 3 things that have recently been brought to my attention that are new to me. Not sure if they are going to end up on a "Best of..." list but after only one listen each, I've certainly been diggin...

Dan Phillips Trio-Divergent Flow

Chicago native Phillips teaming up with Tim Daisy (Drums) and Krysztof Pabian (Bass) for a spirited set of guitar led workouts. Phillips has a clean tone not unlike Abercrombie and Metheny but the music is generally more "out" than either of them cats. I'm liking this and will probably investigate further.



Matthew Lux's Communication Arts Quartet-Contra/Fact

Get your Art Ensemble fix right here folks, albiet with a little bit more modern flourish's happening like electronics but still....if you like AEC, this release comes highly rec'ed. Couldn't find any vids on YouTube, sorry...but trust me, it's good!


Benjamin Thigpen-Divide by Zero

This was recommended to me by a friend at the Joe McPhee/Graham Lambkin show last nite and it's a good one. This is a new name for me in the Acousmatic space and this release will probably appeal to very few of you out there in PE land. But the few who it resonates with (and I'm talking to you Walt!) will probably really enjoy. This is highly synthetic sounding and sometimes pretty intense, but never really abrasive...therefore...listen to it loud!!



Best
Michael

[walt]

Yo Michael.I dig the Dan Phillips trio.Benjamin Thigpen is a bit too noisy for me,and i'll check out Matthew Lux, fer sure.Thanks for posting these.

Here's something kinda recent that i dig.The man is Gabor Szabo,from Hungary,his one man band project is called Gosheven.The cd is Bivaq.Here's a track.Check it out, daddy-o.



http://opaltapes.com/album/bivaq

Something else new;been chewing on it since it arrived.Music from New Zealand composer Gillian Whitehead, from her cd Shadows Crossing Water, for string quartet, piano and oboe.Winner.

[neuroticdog]

Couple things here...

First of all, the Matthew Lux record, if I may, i'm going to slightly edit my initial short take on that one. I'm going to take away some of the AEC sound (although it's still there) and maybe add a dash of the Kosmiche. Also, there is more of an electronic presence here than I may have originally led you to believe...but it's all done very tastefully and alot of this grooves pretty hot. I think you'll like this one!

Re. Thigpen, agreed, it's noisy but I dont think it's "too" noisy...at least for my taste. There is alot of "wall of sound" construction going on here and if you listen "though" the noise, there is some pretty interesting things happening. I think I may have used this comparison before, but just to put it a little bit more in context while at the same time, maybe comparing it to something that may be more identifiable here, think Bob Drakes "13 Songs and a Thing" album. Alot of this reminds me of "The Thing" (which also happens to be one of my favorite Bob Drake pieces ever).

Ok, so that Gosheven. Walt...don't hate me man...but I couldn't stand that album. Tell me what I'm missing? Make me a believer....but to me, it sounded like a laughably bad attempt at some 12 year old trying to make a cosmically profound statement in his bedroom. It sounded extremely naive and amateurish to me. Again, tell me why i'm way off base...what should I be hearing that I'm not?

Gillian Whitehead on deck...think I've heard the name before but don't recall her music. Looking forward to it.

best
Michael

[neuroticdog]

One other one I forgot to mention:

Sam Pluta-Broken Symmetries

Guessing you've heard it but if not, you should!



best
Michael

[walt]

I tried the Thigpen again but no sale.I can't hear anything cohesive(to my ears) under the noise.My loss.

Re: Gosheven.I find most of the tunes very moving and i perceive the music as coming from Szabo's innards, in an honest, direct manner.He is using just intonation tunings on the tracks but that fact would mean little to me if i didn't find the compositions compelling, which i do.

I like to think i'm old enough and well seasoned enough in the ways of peoples opinions about music not to get my balls in an uproar if someone doesn't dig music i dig.And vice versa.As long as the opinion is honest and conveyed without rancor and snark,i listen/read it with all due respect and move on.

As Dalton said.."opinions will vary".

[neuroticdog]

Re: Gosheven.I find most of the tunes very moving and i perceive the music as coming from Szabo's innards, in an honest, direct manner.He is using just intonation tunings on the tracks but that fact would mean little to me if i didn't find the compositions compelling, which i do.

I like to think i'm old enough and well seasoned enough in the ways of peoples opinions about music not to get my balls in an uproar if someone doesn't dig music i dig.And vice versa.As long as the opinion is honest and conveyed without rancor and snark,i listen/read it with all due respect and move on.

As Dalton said.."opinions will vary".

Ouch, (I think). If I came across that way, apologies. I do fall into lapses of trying to be overly clever in my posts which definitely raises the sarcasm quotient. I was conveying what I thought of that album and sometimes emotions get the better of me. Opinions do vary, and thanks for telling me the "why" of why you like the Gosheven. That's exactly what I asked for and, in that light, I'll probably give it another spin.

Btw Walt, you are the closest here (that I know of) that share similar thoughts and feelings about electronic music, so the last thing I want to do is get your balls in an uproar . Seriously, sorry man, no disrespect intended.

best
Michael

[walt]

Michael, i didn't perceive your comments on Gosheven as snarky or confrontational, just tough and brutally honest.Even if i were brilliantly articulate and analytical in my opinions about Gosheven(or any album i like but someone else doesn't),i doubt i would change the mind of someone who feels strongly(as you do) about that album.

We like what we like, and there's a flip side to that coin......