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Chicago Edge Ensemble: The Individualists
ByAdd to that list guitarist Dan Phillips's Chicago Edge Ensemble. The Individualists is the third release by this quintet and it follows Insidious Anthem (Trost, 2018) and Decaying Orbit (Music+, 2017). The lineup has shifted a bit with cornetist Josh Berman stepping in for Mars Williams, plus trombonist Jeb Bishop, and drummer Hamid Drake. In the Chicago tradition, each of these musicians are members of multiple ensembles. Phillips simply draws on his crew's experience and knowledge for another triumphant interaction.
The music has that unique Chicago cooperative feel throughout. Phillips composed and arranged all the music except for "Mutualism In Action," the one wholly improvised track. Even that piece, with its scattered notes and tones, has an internal logic. Elsewhere, the sound organizes itself after a bit of mayhem "Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion Obligation" or trades in some intentional but orchestrated anarchy "Blue Bakunin" before Phillip's guitar is guided by some slick horn charts. The ensemble makes the complex twists sound simple and the journey here is quite groove accessible.
Track Listing
Victims of the Cultural Hegemony; Blue Bakunin; The Individualists; Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion Obligation; The Passion of Lucy Parsons; Mutualism in Action; Malatesta on the Move; Bumpin' with Da Bourgeoisie; Late Capitalist Inferno.
Personnel
Album information
Title: The Individualists | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Lizard Breath Records
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