Chris Welcome / Shayna Dulberger / John McLellan: Wound Unwound and Within (2006)

Ty Cumbie

CD/DVD Reviewer since 2004

Recent articles (42 total)

Published: August 10, 2006

Chris Welcome / Shayna Dulberger / John McLellan: Wound Unwound and Within

Talented musicians seem to arrive in New York by the busload every day. In fact, the music schools, local and otherwise, are churning them out yearly and depositing them unceremoniously onto the mean streets of this city, where they compete for scanty gigs and elusive attention. Two recent arrivals, bassist Shayna Dulberger and guitarist/cellist Chris Welcome, have quickly carved out spots on the underground scene by playing lots of low-paying gigs and pouring their hearts into every one.

They teamed up with the unique, underappreciated drummer John McLellan and recorded the results on Wound Unwound and Within, a set of thoughtful, fussy improvised pieces in the Derek Bailey tradition. These five interesting tracks are good listening, though they lack somewhat in variety.

Dulberger and Welcome, both relatively young musicians, play with maturity and poise. Dulberger's playing is intensely energetic, reminiscent of the terrific Adam Lane's style. Welcome plays a hollowbody jazz guitar with no effects. His style is more brain than emotion, with occasional flurries that recall Dom Minasi. McLellan, known for an unparalleled use of space, plays busier than usual here, which is to say less busy than just about any drummer alive.

Track Listing: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5.

Personnel: Chris Welcome: guitar; Shayna Dulberger: bass; John McLellan: drums.

Style: Modern Jazz