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Chris Pitsiokos Trio: Gordian Twine
ByThis new kid on the block saxophonist has been working solo, in duos with rock and spoken word artist Lydia Lunch, drummer Weasel Walter, and noise artist Philip White. This disc with his trio of bassist Max Johnson (Kirk Knuffke, Federico Ughi) and Kevin Shea (Mostly Other People Do the Killing, Talibam!) is a brief (at just 31 minutes) outing, one that grabs handfuls of attention.
"Prologue" opens with the unruly clang of drums and hyper-speed bass lines before joining with a singed saxophone that draws equal measure from Peter Brotzmann, John Zorn and Ornette Coleman. His sound has the Brotzmann lung capacity, the Zorn fluttered notes and the blues tinge of Coleman. What is significant here is that the music maintains a taut framework throughout. "Lethe" is ablaze before it stops dead in its tracks, reignites and stops. This is not free jazz, it is drilled and organized music played at the highest level. "Atropos" feels like speed-metal for an acoustic trio. The music rejects the death of jazz by raging against all darkness. Pitsiokos can also write an evocative melody like "Lachesis." Here he plies a bluesy touch over the traced lines of Johnson's bass.
The tautness of the compositions and the discipline of the band are the draw here. The three play like punk rockers who have graduate degrees in physics.
Track Listing
Prologue; Lethe; Clotho; Lachesis; Atropos; Dissolution; Epilogue.
Personnel
Chris Pitsiokos
saxophoneChris Pitsiokos: alto saxophone; Max Johnson: bass; Kevin Shea: drums.
Album information
Title: Gordian Twine | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: New Atlantis Records
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About Chris Pitsiokos
Instrument: Saxophone
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Gordian Twine