Clear Water: Electricity

Clear Water represents the next evolution of American jazz with its seamless combination of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) and jazz rhythms and melodic language. This new sound is expanding the envelope of the genre and at the helm is trumpeter Donald Malloy. Clear Water's third release, Electricity, is an intuitive union of new sounds by the electronic duo of Malloy on trumpet and production and Matt Vorzimer on drums (production on "Coral Blankets"). With Tim Smith guesting on vocals on "Live in Heaven" and Sandra Small singing on "Running on High" and "Healing my Soul."

The music is in the line with Intelligent dance music (commonly IDM), a genre of electronic music that emerged in the early 1990s, but what is exceptional about this sound is Malloy's trumpet playing. IDM tends to rely upon individualistic experimentation rather than adhering to musical characteristics associated with specific genres, but Malloy's command of the jazz language as applied to the sounds of the duet is spectacular and gives the project a cohesive sound and musical flow. Highlights include: "Healing My Soul," "Live in Heaven," with the later indeed displaying Malloy's ability to build a solo and make a musical statement with energy and style. Vorzimer gives every selection a driving force which underpins each selection with emphasis, he really works well with the beats and adds a "human" feel that really makes this project sparkle.

Electricity is strong on composition with heavy beats, a deep bass, synth noise, lingering vocals on several tracks, superb trumpet playing and beautiful harmonies. The soundscape is more exciting than melancholic, but the tracks will do very well on the dance floor. With plenty of heavy beats and abrasive synths, which over time blooms into a spacious soundscape in which melodious trumpet synths mingle in a flexible way with the beats to keep the tracks moving in surprising directions.