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Andrew Downing/Jim Lewis/David Occhipinti: Bristles
ByThe standards, save for a fragmented, cross-talking take on "Solar," prove to be the more substantial offerings. This trio manages to bring a hushed-yet-weighty quality to the first two lengthy classics on the playlist"My One And Only Love" and "Once I Loved"; both are semi-atmospheric in nature, but neither defines this group's vision of what the standard can be. That becomes all too clear when these three visit "You And The Night And The Music." That particular piece is launched atop Downing's repetitive-and-rickety bass line, breaking away from the established pattern with Lewis' searching trumpet lines and a rhythmically firm, sawing bass presence pushing the piece forward. Liquid guitar lines and faux-Baroque passages follow, further extending the boundaries of this particular chestnut. A brighter-than-usual "Emily" and a gauzy-turned-grounded "I Fall In Love Too Easily" round out the standards list.
The artist portraitssub-two-minute nods to Cy Twombly, Emily Carr, Jackson Pollock, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Jean Dubuffettap into some of the very schools of thought that the subjects are often associated with; minimalism, surrealism, and abstraction all play a part in the way this trio paints these visionaries.
The two topics addressed throughout Bristles might seem wholly different, but they're not; this album, whether addressing creations or creators, is all about the art of malleability.
Track Listing
Cy Twombly; Solar; Emily Carr; My One And Only Love; Jackson Pollock; Once I Loved; Wassily Kandinsky; You And The Night And The Music; Paul Klee; Emily; Jean Dubuffet; I Fall In Love Too Easily.
Personnel
David Occhipinti: guitar; Andrew Downing: double bass; Jim Lewis: trumpet.
Album information
Title: Bristles | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Self Produced