Album Review
Amanda Gardier: Flyover Country
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Saxophonist Amanda Gardier's sophomore recording, Flyover Country, opens with her original, "Midwestern Gothic," a tune which shifts between serene reveries and pronouncements so bold they could fitswitch out the acoustic rhythm section and the saxophone for some muscular, loud electric guitarsinto an in-you-face heavy metal band. A fine way to open the show.
Gardier pares things down in comparison to her debut, Empathy (Green Mind Records, 2018), where she employed a larger ensemble. The quartet approach suits her, giving her plenty of opportunities to break loose on the opener and its successor, "Boss Lady," a brash, foot-to-the-floorboard tune, with Gardier's alto sax riding the waves of Brendan Keller-Tuberg's bouncing bass walk.
"Void" gives the band a chance to explore ballad territory, and for Gardier and pianist Ellie Pruneau to display some beautifully intricate interplay with each other and with Keller-Tuberg's assertive bass, buoyed by the subtle exhortations of drummer Carrington Clinton.
"Buddy" is a jaunty marchit makes a great dance tuneand "40 Tattoos" plays out as a pensive, dark-hued rumination, with Pruneau shining elegantly, then urgently, on her solo.
All the tunes here are Gardier originals. She writes a fine melody, and she and her band execute the music with finesse. The ebullient title tune features the leader on soprano, showcasing a clean and distinctive straight-horn tone, and the closer, "Sea Day," surges gently, wrapping things up on perhaps the loveliest of the album's compositions.
Gardier pares things down in comparison to her debut, Empathy (Green Mind Records, 2018), where she employed a larger ensemble. The quartet approach suits her, giving her plenty of opportunities to break loose on the opener and its successor, "Boss Lady," a brash, foot-to-the-floorboard tune, with Gardier's alto sax riding the waves of Brendan Keller-Tuberg's bouncing bass walk.
"Void" gives the band a chance to explore ballad territory, and for Gardier and pianist Ellie Pruneau to display some beautifully intricate interplay with each other and with Keller-Tuberg's assertive bass, buoyed by the subtle exhortations of drummer Carrington Clinton.
"Buddy" is a jaunty marchit makes a great dance tuneand "40 Tattoos" plays out as a pensive, dark-hued rumination, with Pruneau shining elegantly, then urgently, on her solo.
All the tunes here are Gardier originals. She writes a fine melody, and she and her band execute the music with finesse. The ebullient title tune features the leader on soprano, showcasing a clean and distinctive straight-horn tone, and the closer, "Sea Day," surges gently, wrapping things up on perhaps the loveliest of the album's compositions.
Track Listing
Midwestern Gothic; Boss Lady; Void; Buddy; 40 Tattoos; Hidden; Red-Headed Uncle; Flyover Country; Sea Day.
Personnel
Amanda Gardier: saxophone; Ellie Pruneau: piano; Brendan Keller-Tuberg: bass; Carrington Clinton: drums.
Album information
Title: Flyover Country | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Green Mind Records
About Amanda Gardier
Instrument: Saxophone
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