Let's live real. How many people inwards the globe exterior of their native Kingdom of Belgium know who Aka Luna is? The ratio could live staggering. One inwards precisely how many? How many of you lot reading this correct forthwith remember their scream way "also known equally moon?" Wrong. The name, as well as aspects of their music, stems from their passion for the AKA Pygmies, amongst whom they lived inwards the groovy woods of Central Africa inwards 1991. Absolutely world-class musicians, these guys operate on some variety of insanely artistic plane total of regulation as well as integrity alien to the American musical way of life. I'm only assuming that, amid many other lessons imparted from their globe unto themselves, these AKA pygmies conveyed remarkable cognition relating to time, percussion as well as rhythm- subjects that every participant inwards the band, as well as every invitee on manus at this party, acre cares really deeply about.
Thinking globe music already? Somewhat. Thinking grant-receiving artistic types , no amps as well as a percussion dorsum describe a one-half mile long? No way. These guys rip as well as a lot of their music is extremely high unloose energy as well as may live most accurately classified equally -dare I say it- fusion. Oh my! The particular create of excitement brought hither past times Aka Luna is compelling as well as its appeal broadbased. This is Aka Luna addition guitars, as well as they receive got friends inwards high places. Here's where the freaky part comes in. So exercise I, through my friendly neighborhood music scene. Two out of the iii guys they picked telephone phone Boston home. David Gilmore forthwith Brooklyn-based but from Cambridge , as well as Prasanna , Boston-based but from India, both of whom receive got released highly recommended discs recently. Rounding out the trio of guitars is Belgian tele-master Pierre Van Dormael , amongst whom Aka Luna has collaborated previously on their many Carbon-7 releases. Now, remember of your favorite iii guitarists on the planet as well as know that if Aka Luna had picked whatever i or all of them, the disc could non perchance live improve than it is.
I genuinely listened to the music as well as scribbled a few notes without looking at the titles, only to discovery that most comprise homages to famous inspirations. But "Jimi's Three Words" owes much to a greater extent than compositionally to the opening of the way of Steve Coleman; hence luckily, they've borrowed his guitarist as well as fellow-forward thinking rhythmatician, David Gilmore. See, David e'er knows what fourth dimension it is, whether composing, playing along or fret melting, which he does hither when allowed to verbalize the middle of the "Three Words". Each actor is given ample fourth dimension to demo their juice on this strange -time rocker including altoist/composer Fabrizzio Cassol- his longest accept on the disc hither is total of the angular lines, utilization of intervallic structure, as well as progressions inside a progression playing that Coleman's noted for. VanDormael follows amongst classic tele-toned, blues- laced improvisation - the influence of Stern on the banking company complaint choices, trend as well as tone is undeniable. For Gilmore's turn-no burn downward - the band goes vicious, morphing the odd-time riff over the bar describe into a pummeling 4:4 stone vamp (turn this i up), consummate amongst sequencer like, but heavy bass, for i of his many jawdroppers on the disc. Of the soloists statements on this tune, David's comes closest to kissing the heaven piece displaying the most ideas, which may precisely live the production of beingness the guy most create to non remember virtually them. This is the character of his playing-a willing abandonment that goes beyond but trusting intuition -wonderful tailspinning from which he is e'er capable of recovering - that continues to laid him apart from some of his safer-playing downtown contemporaries. That beingness said, the guy who gets to drib dead last, Prasanna, plays guitar, quite simply similar nobody on the planet. Talk virtually beingness able to seat a guy inwards iii notes! I don't know how he's doing it, but he sounds to live consciously executing quarter flat, quarter sharp- whatever microtones- all piece incorporating western ideas into eastern virtuosity- as well as all on a conventional fretted Les Paul . Anyway, he manages to convey it all dorsum downward to earth piece incorporating otherworldly phraseology into familiar source cloth (here, pentatonics).
With the modify inwards rails seat out to "The Last Call From Jaco", you lot realize these guys are compositionally astute, because quite simply, they receive got used the same exact riff as well as theme equally the previous tune, letting it grow to a greater extent than spare as well as spacey. But it's only a rails marker, afterwards all, since the previous melody changed completely virtually halfway in, as well as on the way out only approximated how it had started. This is where I receive got to intermission as well as banking company complaint the contribution of Aka Moon's amazing section, St'phane Galland on drums as well as Michel Hatzigeorgiou on electrical bass. The heavy hitting, polyrhythmic playing of Coleman's Gene Lake as well as Gilmore's Rodney Holmes comes to postulate heed equally a signal of comparing to these ears, but Galland for sure has his ain affair as well as his ain behaviour on happening, acutely technical peel piece of work on par amongst the Bozzios as well as Chambers' of the world. About iii minutes into this one, Galland shows he's equally familiar amongst the intricacies of the highest levels of progressive stone drumming equally amongst funk-fusion as well as odd-time styles, which he hence revisits as well as magnifies upon inwards the succeeding "Scofield", as well as continues into the ensuing "From Influence to Innocence." Drum-heads looking for a novel fave would exercise good to postulate heed to this triumvirate of tunes earlier continuing their search. And piece every bassist on the planet has been influence past times Jaco, Michel Hatzigeorgiou deserves kudos for hiding it well, both inwards damage of having his ain tone as well as his ain solo style. He's used only i time equally a soloist, but to a greater extent than importantly, plays heavily into the oft times riff-based, Colemanesque "cell"-like elements of Fabrizio Cassol's compositional method. Hatzigeorgiou's got a prissy circular sound, uses the fingers at all times, as well as intriguingly drops anchor inwards hotly unlikely spaces, toying gleefully as well as oh-so-hiply amongst Galland inwards the spaces betwixt the beats.
"Jaco" turns into a characteristic for Gilmore, who i time to a greater extent than rolls phat tone, chromaticisn, as well as rhythmic displacement into a searing combination, which hither , clearly harkens dorsum to fusion's heyday piece reinventing it's future. Gilmore's solo as well as decaying sax segue into "Scofield," which begins past times reaffirming Galland's athleticism, Hatzigeorgiou's groove ability as well as Cassol's funky fluidity. Gilmore as well as VanDormael merchandise 16 bars, overlapping each other equally their tradeoffs drib dead shorter as well as to a greater extent than blues inflected hence going out as well as angular again, Galland rolling to a boil underneath as well as hence a solo.
"From Influence To Innocence" is introed past times Prasanna , as well as past times virtue of that alone, transports us all elsewhere. Rare is the actor on whatever musical instrument that tin john hence modify your headspace as well as your heart charge per unit of measurement inwards 2 bars. To me, the iii minutes of soloing over the drone hither are worth the toll of the disc alone, allow lone the ensuing strange fourth dimension thrill ride he takes side past times side amongst Galland as well as Hatzigeorgiou earlier Cassol fades into the mix. Hear the parts build-first single-note guitar shadowing sax hence some other guitarist adding harmony as well as then, the drums. Soon, amongst a trance similar melodic line, provided past times sax as well as guitar, the affair is rolling along at bazillion rpms as well as create to recess apart at the seams. We autumn out of an opened upward rocket door into ambient bed of three-way guitars that functions equally the doorway to "Bill's Dream" a melancholy mood setting ballad to a greater extent than virtually the shoegazer stylings of alternate stone than whatever jazz vocabulary. Prasanna finally gets to solo inwards organic fashion over a somber passage utilizing an Aka Luna trademark device, the unmarried bass banking company complaint syncopating the measures. Prasanna weaves his magic, rooted firmly inwards carnatic Indian styles but embracing all musics as well as incorporating precisely the correct dose of modernism to homecoming it individualistic all the same non overly-technique laden. Lines revolve as well as resolve, phrases are pinched as well as elasticized, banking company complaint values are selected hence changed. Worlds merge as well as vapors mingle when Prasanna plays. And how empathetically Gilmore answers Prasanna's affair past times crafting a solo that wraps as well as falls gracefully dorsum inwards on itself similar wisps inwards a natural Fibonacci spiral. Fittingly, the band hands it dorsum to Prasanna, who established a mensurate of ownership of this part of the tape dorsum at the intro of "Innocence," which is a plumbing equipment indication of the grade of listening that's happening here.
Of the rest, "Yang -Yin -Yang" deserves exceptional cite inwards the "songs that receive got pushed as well as pulled the trounce the most" hall of fame. "A La Luce di Paco-Act 1" serves equally a beautiful raga introduction to the recording as well as to Prasanna, piece I remember his scariest solo passage comes 6:15 into "Act 2" unless it's Gilmore, inwards which representative it's fifty-fifty scarier.
Without knowing their history, precisely listening to this recording volition demo you lot that Aka Luna has a collective mentality. In a perfect world, it wouldn't live a restrain to run into them equally principal collaborators, amongst writing as well as playing skills crossing the music over into elements of pop, option rock, DJ Culture or modern dance. For now, we'll receive got to settle for i of the fusion releases of 2002. Save the trip- you lot won't discovery this inwards whatever tape stores. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 trivial distribution as well as some airplay could drib dead a long way toward letting the globe inwards on the globe class hush-hush of AKA Moon. In the meantime, evidently, that's our job. Get it at De Werf or domestically hither .
Track Listing:
1. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 La Luce Di Paco - Act 1 - 05:02,
2. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 La Luce Di Paco - Act 2 - 07:03,
3. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 La Luce Di Paco - Act 3 - 04:20,
4. Jimi's Three Words - 08:46,
5. The Last Call From Jaco - 05:47,
6. Scofield - 05:38,
7. From Influence To Innocence - 07:09,
8. Bill's Dreams - 12:06,
9. Yang-Yin-Yang - 4:15,
10. Three Oceans - 05:07
Total fourth dimension - 65:15
Personnel:
Fabrizio Cassol - alto saxophone, compositions (except on 1)
Michel Hatzigeorgiou - bass guitar
Stéphane Galland - drums
Pierre Van Dormael - guitar
Prasanna - guitar, composition (on 1)
David Gilmore - guitar
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