Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michael Musillami Trio: Dachau

177

Michael Musillami Trio: Dachau

By

Sign in to view read count
Michael Musillami Trio: Dachau
The cult of youth has poisoned the world of music. Pop culture would have "instant artists shine momentarily, and then disappear quietly into the "where are they now category before they lose their baby teeth. In spite of this, seasoned musicians continue to move forward, breaking boundaries and defying the international fetishism of youth.

Michael Musillami is one such visionary musician. On Dachau, his veteran trio, augmented on several tracks to a quartet, quintet or sextet, fuses a warm traditional sound with highly modern playing into a seamless whole, stating unequivocally that the world of improvised music need not enslave itself to pop culture's obsession with disposable art(ists).

The realm of jazz guitar is fettered with a duality of possibilities: the classic tradition of Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall or the anything-goes realm of Bill Frisell. The jaunty melody of "Dresden" reveals the dichotomy that is Michael Musillami: a traditional jazz guitar sound coupled with a penchant for freely improvised lines, odd meters, and a conjuring of otherworldly soundscapes. This unlikely union creates a unique moment in jazz history: highly listenable free jazz guitar playing.

Throughout the record, Joe Fonda's warm bass tone anchors the movements of both Michael Musillami and drummer George Schuller. Like Scott LaFaro, he uses the entire register of the instrument for highly interactive and contrapuntal basslines. With music that exists on the fringes of jazz, maintaining group cohesion can be difficult. On the title track, "Dachau," Joe Fonda's playing serves to unite the frenetic drumming of George Schuller and the jaunty lines of Michael Musillami into a unified whole. Like Charlie Haden in Ornette Coleman's groups, Joe Fonda gives the music a completeness through strong melodic bass parts and intuitive interaction with the ensemble.

Veteran jazz drummer George Schuller is the MVP of Dachau. His clever and rambunctious playing keeps the record grooving continually, showing that freer music need not be devoid of feel. Moving seamlessly from the frenetic "Archives" to the melismatic "Dachau" with aplomb, Schuller is part of a rare breed of drummers who are capable of making the drums whisper, roar, groove or swing without sounding schizophrenic. Bringing to the table a dark cymbal texture and round drum tone that complement the ensemble perfectly, he is johnny-on-the-spot, catching everything everyone does and raising the musical bar continually.

Free improvisation can be a no man's land. The fainthearted need not apply. Over the years many carpetbagger musicians have seen fit to approach the daunting task of musical coherence in a freer setting without the ability to do so, effectively souring many ears to what can be highly imaginative and kinetic music. With Dachau, Michael Musillami demonstrates all that free music wants to live up to but often doesn't. Armed with a renegade ensemble of daring musicians with a classic jazz sound, Dachau is a work of surprising musical cohesion and inventiveness.

Visit Michael Musillami on the web.

Track Listing

Dresden; Archives; Dachau; Part Pitbull; Rottweil; Today the Angels; Metaphor 3.4.5.

Personnel

Michael Musillami: guitar; Joe Fonda: bass; George Schuller: drums, bells, shaker, toy hammer whistle; Peter Madsen: piano; Tom Christensen: tenor sax; Dave Ballou: trumpet.

Album information

Title: Dachau | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Playscape Recordings

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.