フォーマット |
LPレコード |
---|---|
構成数 |
1 |
国内/輸入 |
輸入 (International Version) |
パッケージ仕様 |
- |
発売日 |
2017年11月24日 |
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規格品番 |
5792172 |
レーベル |
|
SKU |
602557921724 |
構成数 | 1枚
合計収録時間 | 00:00:00
Body and Shadow marks only the fifth album in Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band's 20-year history. They have pursued an ensemble-based sound over their entire tenure with remarkable consistency and a dedication to a musical aesthetic whose roots lie in pastoral American forms from folk, blues, and gospel to modern creative jazz. There has been another personnel shift in the guitar chair -- Jeff Parker and Marvin Sewell alternately appeared on 2014's Landmarks, but have in turn been replaced by Denver jazz-rock guitarist Dave Devine, whose diverse approach is a seamless fit with Blade, keyboardist Jon Cowherd, bassist Chris Thomas, and saxophonists Melvin Butler and Myron Walden. The set was co-produced and arranged by Cowherd and Blade, who split compositional duties. Blade's set-opener "Within Everything" commences with a languid, almost processional melody articulated by guitar, piano, and saxophones. He and Thomas pace a gentle march even as a country-tinged feel inhabits the hymn-like vibe. Devine's electric guitar introduces the first part of the title suite (subtitled "Night"), while sustained single notes and controlled feedback engage in barely detectable counterpoint with piano and bassline in waltz time. Its repetitive theme is more interlude than formal composition, and seemingly the only thing that keeps it anchored to earth. (The remaining two parts appear out of sequence later on, and both are equally satisfying for all their spacious pastoral tendencies.) Cowherd's "Traveling Mercies" is one of the album's finest moments, with his majestic chord voicings, fingerpicked guitars, and the interplay of saxophone, bass clarinet, and whispering snare and kick drum. Its articulation resembles that of a folk song until the bridge, which contrasts sharply, adds tension and drama. He also introduces -- via a harmonium solo -- an actual traditional hymn in the two-part "Have Thine Own Way, Lord," arranged by Blade. Using his snare and hi-hat, he manages to keep the gospel feel and yet makes it a fluid dance as the horns offer the melody to just the piano. The eight-plus-minute "Duality" diverges from the Americana path as the sextet shifts tempos and dynamics to engage both post-bop and modal jazz. It hosts a celebratory solo from Cowherd and a deeply soulful one from Walden. Set-closer "Broken Leg Days" is the album's single. A Cowherd composition, its piano and drum opening recalls Pat Metheny's relentless pursuit of euphoria as a motivic notion. When the horns enter, they weave counter melodies in tandem and separately, Devine's guitar accents the bass, drum, and piano fills, and the rhythm takes on a Latin lilt before Butler delivers a killer tenor break. Body and Shadow presents a gorgeous balance of openness, melodic invention, and intuitive understatement that distinguishes this band from virtually every other jazz act. ~ Thom Jurek
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1.[LPレコード]
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1.Within Everything
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2.Body and Shadow - Noon
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3.Traveling Mercies
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4.Have Thine Own Way, Lord - Solo
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5.Have Thine Own Way, Lord - Band
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6.Body and Shadow - Morning
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7.Duality
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8.Body and Shadow - Night
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9.Broken Leg Days
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ウェイン・ショーター、ノラ・ジョーンズからジョニ・ミッチェルまでジャンルを問わず大物からの信頼厚い天才ドラマー率いるフェロウシップ、3年ぶりの新作は「光と影」がテーマ。歴史的ヴェニューにてライヴ形式で録音された本作は相棒のピアニスト、ジョン・カワードとの共同プロデュースにより、これまで以上に作編曲センスが光る。アメリカーナかつサッドコア的構成でシカゴ音響派にも通じる音楽性を保ちながらも夜の帳を落とした様に、墨汁の一滴の様に静かにジワジワと沁み、丁寧にグルーヴを繰り広げる。と思いきや、気付けば醒めている白昼夢でもある。それは昼と夜の隙間を縫う美しい音楽。
intoxicate (C)片切真吾タワーレコード (vol.131(2017年11月25日発行号)掲載)
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