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Sangeeta Michael Berardi: Earthship
ByBerardi, who was primarily based in Woodstock, N.Y. during his most productive years, has worked with Archie Shepp, Joe Diorio, Sonny Simmons, Perry Robinson and Roswell Ruddsomething of a who's who in the avant-garde genre.
Earthship was recorded in 1996 in Woodstock. The disc was released on a limited basiswhat might be called a bootleg in 2007. It has now been officially released on pianist John Esposito's Sunjump Records.
Berardi's guitar is a soaring, swooping, melodious jet turbine of an instrument, owing as much perhaps to Jimi Hendrix as to any jazz guitarist. The atmosphere of Earthship is one of deep spirituality, much like John Coltrane during the saxophonist's Impulse! Records years.
Berardi is joined here by John Esposito on piano and multi-reed player James Finn, along with Hilliard Greene on bass and Peter O'Brien on drums. The group opens with the monumental, Coltrane-esque title tune, a searing fire-in-the-belly fourteen minutes of song. The tune throbs in on a meditative groove, but soon enough everybody's wailingFinn on tenor sax, Esposito, and especially Berardi, backing Finn with ice crystal chords beside Esposito's dense, McCoy Tyner-like sound. And when Berardi takes his solo, it's as if he is diving in from the stratosphere.
"Trane's Church" has that same warp drive sound, but in a trio settingturbulent drums and scorching guitar licks bookended by some Art Ensemble of Chicago-like bells. "Six for Rashied" explores more of the Coltrane Impulse! sound, with James Finn's tenor sax reaching for outer space.
"My Favorite Things" (the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic that was redefined by Coltrane) gets another redefinition here, with Berardi bringing a radioactive shimmer of brash spirituality to the tunean American songbook jewel soaring toward Nirvana.
It's a shame there is so little of Sangeeta Michael Berardi's music available on CD. The release of the excellentfrom start to finish Earthship is a step towards introducing his singular sound to the audience he deserves.
Track Listing
Earthship; Sahara Song; Coltrane's Love Lights Our Way; Six for Rashied; Eleutheria; Trane's Church; Evening, Woodstock; Onedaruth; My Favorite Things.
Personnel
Sangeeta Michael Berardi
guitarSangeeta Michael Berardi: guitar, pedals; John Esposito: piano, drums (3, 6, 8); James Finn: tenor sax, flute, bass clarinet, bells; Hilliard Greene: bass; Peter O'Brien: drums.
Album information
Title: Earthship | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Sunjump Records
Comments
About Sangeeta Michael Berardi
Instrument: Guitar
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