Guitarist Alex Machacek is i of the most innovative composers inward jazz together with fusion. Though he does write a lot of music from scratch every bit most composers do, his most hitting compositional device is to write "around" a pre-existing slice of music such every bit a drum solo (e.g., "Djon Don" together with the championship rail from [sic]), or an improvised studio jam (e.g., practically the entire Improvision album amongst Matt Garrison together with Jeff Sipe). With his latest album 24 Tales , Machacek has taken this writing technique to novel heights. The foundation for 24 Tales is a 52 infinitesimal improvised drum solo yesteryear long-time Machacek cohort Marco Minnemann. Machacek took the solo, together with composed his ain music on top of it using a broad multifariousness of instruments together with styles. The final result is a unmarried 52 infinitesimal slice of continuous music that is divided into 24 gapless tracks on the album. These private tracks (with run-times ranging from one-half a infinitesimal to iv minutes plus) operate both every bit stand-alone songs or every bit pieces of the larger composition. It's a remarkable achievement that's every bit entertaining every bit it is impressive.
This album's journeying from a unmarried thought to a finished production you lot tin sack concur inward your manus has been a long foreign trip. When I interviewed Machacek inward 2006, he spoke of doing an entire album consisting of composed-over drum solos from diverse drummers. Minnemann contributed a solo for the project, but it was 52 minutes long. After originally intending to compose or thence only a modest component of the solo, Machacek decided to tackle the whole matter when Minnemann launched his ain projection (which he dubbed Normalizer 2), where he gave this same drum solo to several other musicians to write over every bit well. The final result was to live on a massive laid that would essentially live on the contrary of Machacek's original thought - many composers for i drum solo, every bit opposed to many drum solos for i composer. Like Machacek, these other composers (John Czajkowski, Trey Gunn, Mike Keneally together with others) are at i time releasing their Normalizer 2 contributions every bit stand-alone albums.
24 Tales is impossible to pivot downwardly stylistically. Jazz, fusion, classical, stone together with funk are all nowadays here, but Machacek utilizes other, harder-to-define styles every bit well. Rhythmically, the album is all over the map also (Minnemann seems to play every meter known to human being inward his solo). With all the twists together with turns, the album often has the experience of a progressive rock-based cinema score.
Machacek does play a lot of guitar on the album, but I wouldn't telephone telephone this a "guitar" tape per se. Piano is used quite frequently, every bit are many other instruments together with electronica-type sounds. And at that spot aren't a lot of guitar "solos" on the album either, though at that spot are enough of insane guitar lines together with runs - some played alive yesteryear Machacek, some programmed via computer. Some of the best guitar playing on the album tin sack live on heard inward it's jazz fusion-oriented pieces - "Feel Me!," "Blender," together with "Anamika" (possibly the album's best together with most dramatic stand-alone track) are skilful examples. There's an abundance of effective subtle guitar operate every bit well, such every bit the acoustic slide tune inward "Sit Back together with Chillax." Overall though, 24 Tales isn't nearly Machacek's playing, it's nearly his writing.
Remarkably, every bit seemingly random together with adventurous every bit Minnemann's original solo is (in damage of fourth dimension together with mood shifts), Machacek manages to inject some mutual melodic threads throughout the 52 infinitesimal slice - merely motifs that are introduced early on together with re-visited at diverse points on the album, regardless of the rhythmic together with harmonic conditions. For event - the original tune from the opening rail "On Your Marks..." tin sack live on heard i time to a greater extent than afterwards inward other sections, most notably inward rail 19, "Run, Fusion!," where it's reworked effectively over a completely unlike groove together with tempo from when it was get-go heard. It's interesting also that at sure as shooting points, such every bit the high-hat tour-de-force "Air," Machacek largely stays out of Minnemann's way, adding only modest touches to heighten what was already nowadays inward the drum solo. Also notable is the album's humorous side - "Minnemaus inward da House" is a peachy example, specially during it's voiced-over tutorial for navigating the perils of strange times such every bit 13/16.
24 Tales is i of those albums that keeps revealing to a greater extent than of itself upon farther listenings. There's an awful lot of music packed into this disc, together with it's impossible to stimulate got it all inward in i sitting. With this album, Machacek has resoundingly achieved the goal of bringing Minnemann's incredible drum solo to life every bit a fully fleshed out composition. Highly recommended.
Tracklisting:
1. On Your Marks
2. Sit Back together with Chillax
3. Tour De France
4. Dancing amongst the Baby Bear
5. Anamika
6. Pros together with Cons of Depression
7. Little Man
8. Tranquillo
9. Tranquilizer
10. Sweet Torture
11. She Likes It
12. See You There
13. X-Mas
14. Feel Me
15. At the Club
16. Eu De Conlon
17. Doldrums
18. Minnemaus inward da House
19. Run, Fusion!
20. Air
21. Sexy
22. Blender
23. Quotes
24. Over together with Out
Personnel:
Alex Machacek (Guitars together with everything else)
Marco Minnemann (Drums)
Sumitra (Vocals-1 track)
Martin Ptak (Trombone-3 tracks)
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