Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Lan Xang: Lan Xang

115

Lan Xang: Lan Xang

By

Sign in to view read count
Lan Xang: Lan Xang
This is the "outer territory" of highly inventive yet accessible jazz. Lan Xang is a whirling, swirling, groovin,' eclectically-charged blend of alto/tenor/soprano saxophones, wood flute, acoustic bass, bells, Tunisian horn, percussion and drums. Dave Binney and Donny McCaslin cover reeds predominately. Scott Colley is bass and Jeff Hirshfield is drums and percussion.

Compositions are many times — slickly relaxed. Hear Binney's "Vevasis" that shows up again on Binney's third Lost Tribe release — Many Lifetimes. Some pieces are intro'ed as strained and jaggedly extruded oddities — resolving themselves into walls of smooth, subdued color — melancholy strolls. Fleet-footed unisons are tight little fusillades coming and going as pieces evolve. Take notice of this on "Rob Petry" and witness excellent bass soloing. Conversational reed solos overlay this McCaslin piece.

On the hip cool boppin' "2nd Line Sally" I was tempted get up from the keyboard and boogie down and shake some boo-tay. This is fun stuff. "Tango, Waltz, & Variations on . . ." wins the odd-metered award hands down — a head-boppin' tune but I bet ya can't dance to it. Not forgetting the jazz standards vibe Lan Xang offers Binney's "A Hundred Kings" that will make many older jazz lovers nod heads of admiration. It still retains that syncopated groove Binney and McCaslin both throw down so well. Find more great bass and drumming here for sure. Those of you looking for that jagged-edged thing with sleek delivery recalling Lost Tribe will find it on McCaslin's "Grunge Factor." Oops, no electric guitars, just killer Colley bass and fired up Hirshfield drums. I could dig this scene a lot more. Did I mention the tortured sax work aflame with reed-screech and hallowed barkings? Oh man, they smoke!

As an interesting thread running all through this release are vignettes Xang 1-Xang 5 and an outro reprise of Xang 1. They are each curious little sketches running from :37 to 2:00 long. Experience this debut Lan Xang release for a breath of fresh jazz, cutting edge, and adventurous music.

Track Listing

Xang 1; Day of Fear; Night of Truth; Vevasis; Far Rockaway; Rob Petry; Xang 2; 2nd Line Sally; Xang 3; Tango, Waltz and Variations On; Bob Dole/ Blee Bop Ba Bley; Xang 4; A Hundred Kings; Xang 5; Grunge Factor; Xang 1 (alt).

Personnel

David Binney: alto saxophone; Donny McCaslin: tenor and soprano saxophones; Scott Colley: bass; Jeff Hirshfield: drums.

Album information

Title: Lan Xang | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Mythology Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.