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Devin Gray: RelativE ResonancE
by Vincenzo Roggero
Con Relative Resonance Devin Gray si conferma batterista e band leader di assoluto valore, in grado di mettere in campo una scrittura a più dimensioni, ricca di suggestioni, e di allestire band di alto profilo grazie a musicisti innovativi e dalla mente aperta. Il disco presenta musica complessa, nervosa, irregolare. A volte scontrosa. Nessun evidente filo conduttore, percorsi individuali che seguono traiettorie apparentemente incompatibili, temi che si sviluppano più come impressioni che per logico susseguirsi di segni, dinamiche che sfuggono ...
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by Dave Wayne
The music of drummer and composer Devin Gray traverses terrains that will be familiar to those who've investigated artists such as Tyshawn Sorey and Steve Lehman. As complex and highly structured as Gray's music can be, there's a palpable human warmth throughout Relative Resonance which makes the music--in spite of its ultra-busy, highly demanding nature--kind of easy on the ears. This was also a hallmark of Gray's excellent debut recording, Dirigo Rataplan (Skirl Records, 2012). While some of the pieces--"Jungle ...
read moreRelativE ResonancE: RelativE ResonancE
by Budd Kopman
With RelativE ResonancE, composer and drummer Devin Gray has staked out new, exciting and different territory than that explored in his highly acclaimed previous album, Dirigo Rataplan. Whereas the earlier band (saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, trumpeter Dave Ballou and bassist Michael Formanek) emphasized improvisation within group and compositional boundaries, the music for the new group (Chris Speed, saxophone and clarinet, pianist Kris Davis and bassist Chris Tordini) is both a natural reflection of Gray and could be said to ...
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by Dave Wayne
In today's crowded jazz market, it's an achievement to come up with a signature group sound. And yet, this is just one of the wonderful things immediately apparent on Devin Gray's Dirigo Rataplan. An amazing percussionist, Gray's stunningly detailed playing sounds like a cross between Fritz Hauser and Roy Haynes.He flashes some serious compositional chops as well. Dirigo Rataplan is comprised of eight bright, restless originals that are complex and intimate, brainy and engaging, and occasionally a bit ...
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by Eyal Hareuveni
Devin Gray is only 28 years old but, in his case, age does not mean much. Already, in his debut as a leader, this Brooklyn-based drummer proves himself a mature and resourceful composer and promising band leader, one who can lead any outfit with the energy and colors produced from his drum set, as the Latin-French title of this album suggests. And he knows to how to enlist perfect collaborators to realize his musical vision--masterful, experienced leaders in their own ...
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by Hrayr Attarian
Despite his youth, drummer Devin Gray has built an impressive resume and a well- deserved reputation as both an improviser and instrumentalist. His first CD as a leader, Dirigo Rataplan shows that he is not a slouch in the composition or bandleader department either. The record's title, loosely translated from Latin and French, means leading from the beat, and Gray's unique approach to the drum-set allows him to do just that--not an easy feat given the august ...
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