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Paul Flaherty: Focused and Bewildered
ByIn addition to the idiosyncrasies of the solo format, Flaherty's somewhat more restrained approach here may stem from the occasion that inspired the recording: an epiphany while sitting in his car, exhausted after a late-night gig, in which Flaherty heard a strange voice that alerted him to a thief who was about to break into his neighbor's car. Flaherty was able to honk his horn in time to scare off the thief, but the bizarre event left an impression on Flaherty, and the titles given to the improvisations on this record attest to its impact. "Shaped by Heavy Light" and "It Stomps Among Us" reveal Flaherty's openness to something metaphysical going on here, the idea that he is a vessel for other forces, which he clearly sees as a metaphor for his own creative process. There is thus an abiding humility in this music that helps explain the wide range of emotions on the record.
Sure, there are the expected expressions of raw intensitya piece like "Public Outrage Blues" includes an aggressive onslaught of repeated, jagged phrases, for examplebut even those segments are tempered by more lyrical turns that seem to open the music to other places. It is in the juxtapositions between the abrasive, ragged flights and the graceful, bluesy turns which emerge on a piece like the closing track, "One Touch of a Car Horn," that the record displays much of its power. This is not to say that the music is "accessible," exactly; Flaherty has invested too many years pursuing his distinctive craft to produce music that is easy on the ears. But an album like this one does challenge facile appraisals of energy music as lacking the capacity for gentler emotions. They are definitely here, even if they are found chiefly in the crevices that form amidst Flaherty's more unruly excavations.
Track Listing
Where Has the Future Gone Lately?; Shaped by Heavy Light; Patience Finds the Long Game; Children in Need of Defense; You’re About to Be Robbed Dude; It Stomps Among Us; Power or Service; Flabbergasted Empathy; Public Outrage Blues; One Touch of a Car Horn.
Personnel
Paul Flaherty
saxophone, tenorPaul Flaherty: alto and tenor saxophones.
Album information
Title: Focused and Bewildered | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Relative Pitch Records
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About Paul Flaherty
Instrument: Saxophone, tenor
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