Jeff Arnal / Curt Cloninger: Drum Major Instinct

Drum Major Instinct is an experimental music duo from Asheville, North Carolina. The duo consists of Jeff Arnal, who plays drums & percussion, and Curt Cloninger, who works with modular synthesisers. Their debut release offers an entrancing blend of soundscapes which defy easy categorization. The album title emanates from a 1968 speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, referencing the 1952 homily ''Drum Major Instincts'' by J. Wallace Hamilton which provides an underlying modus operandi for the album as a whole.

Arnal's rhythmic approach has a balletic sense of time, and he masterfully deploys a vivid palette of colors amid intermittent fractured bop patterns. Cloninger's modular synthesiser work is akin to architects in space suits shifting blocks of radioactive adobe. It is a mesmerizing dance of electronic elements.

The album kicks off with "Walking In Rotterdam," a sonic stroll through the streets of Rotterdam, featuring intricate rhythms and unexpected sonic twists. Here, the duo shrewdly merges free jazz with electronica and stays creatively coordinated, sustaining a blustery and buoyant impetus as Cloninger grounds this piece with an engaging sub-theme, complete with well-placed dynamics.

"Modulating Bodies" is a 33-minute multipart track, highlighting the musicians' rough and tumble paths and ear-popping dialogues, hued with polytonal EFX and a simpatico approach to the adage: man vs. machine. Here, Arnal is a force of nature atop his partner's fuzz-toned bass lines and upper-register motifs, skirting the fringes of reality. They even inject some abstract and wily turbo bop signatures where the drummer uses small implements and cymbals to impart a musicality which seamlessly coincides with Cloninger's synth work. At times, it is about all hell breaking loose, but it is still cohesive and artfully executed. In spots, nods to vintage Krautrock come to mind.

The music thrives on the juxtaposition of contrasting elements. Arnal's drumming is a masterclass in subtlety and power, ranging from feather-light brushes to explosive bursts of energy. Cloninger's electronic manipulations add a layer of otherworldliness, blurring the lines between acoustic and synthetic sounds.

This three-track offering ventures beyond genre boundaries, weaving a mosaic of free improvisation, electronic experimentation, and playful exploration. Buckle up, jazz enthusiasts and sonic adventurers, because Drum Major Instinct goes on a wild ride. These contrasting elements, rather than clashing, create a fascinating tension which will keep listeners engaged throughout.

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