Deep Tone Project: Flow

Flow might just be the perfect record for late-night, candle light-and-wine listening with that special someone. As the music comes out of the speakers, it floats and softly envelops the room in deep violet, making time stop for the duration.

If the group can be said have a leader, electric bassist Konstantin Ionenko would share the honors with guitarist Alexandr Pavlov, since they each composed four of the tunes. Tenor saxophonist Viktor Pavelko and drummer Pavel Galitsky round out the personnel.

Deep Tone Project's sound has been finely honed and polished to be all soft surfaces covering an intense, molten core. Every player is a master of subtlety: beginning with the razor-sharp and precise sound from Ionenko's electric bass, his note choices and rhythms are always interesting and many times surprising. Supporting and enhancing the bass is the soft, but sharp playing of Galitsky, who likes to produce a cymbal wash that surrounds the band.

Even when the intensity rises, as in "Air Shortage," the very attractive sound of Pavelko's tenor maintains a soft edge, as does the guitar of Pavlov, for both his comping and lead. Floating above the rhythmic floor, the tenor and guitar solos push, pull and tease the beat. Their soloing has that feel of the spontaneous which nevertheless, is strongly guided producing structure which always moves forward.

This is very sensuous and sexy music, with more than enough of the intellect to engage the mind. Regardless of whatever label that is placed on it, and however familiar it might sound at first, this music has enough twists, turns and surprises to claim originality of conception.

Flow goes down easy, like a fine bourbon and produces the same internal glow afterwards.

Highly recommended.

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