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Chad McCullough: Transverse
ByAn out-of-country influence is a fine way to freshen up American mainstream jazz. Art Farmer's To Sweden With Love (Atlantic, 1964) did it. Now, with Transverse, McCullough and company have done some of their own idiosyncratic freshening, bringing in an atmosphere of Macedonian folk music, beginning with "Lake Ohrid Lament," pianist Spasovski's arrangement of a traditional Macedonian song. It features alternating time signatures and McCullough's golden-toned flugelhorn playing over a dense rhythmic backdrop before settling into a placid and plaintive folk melody.
McCullough is adept at incorporating a European tinge to his music, from his long-term, several-album teaming with Belgian pianist Bram Weijters. This opening salvo with the Macedonia trio may be a harbinger of what is to come.
McCullough has a beautiful, fluid tone on his hornsflugelhorn and trumpet. His artistry has leaped forward since his relocation from the Northwest, from Seattle to Chicago, from Origin Records to his own Calligram Records. He tells labyrinthine stories as he weaves through diverse rhythms. And he has the gift of the ability to recognise talentthe Macedonian trio.
The McCullough-penned "A Forlorn Tale of Tomorrow." These thirteen and a half minutes of melancholy introspection are a highlight. It is a shifting, suite-like experience that showcases Spasovski's piano ruminations and McCullough's shaping of a sad yet beautiful mood. The core trio then shifts into a dirge mode before McCullough re-enters, blowing towering notes.
"Real And Unreal," written by McCullough, inspired by Hugo Award-winning sci-fi author Ursula K. Le Guin, has a dreamy beauty, an unhurried story portraying a forested alien landscape, wrapping things up with tranquility.
Track Listing
Lake Ohrid Lament; Falling Tide; Across the Deep; For Leni; The Forlorn Tale of Tomorrow; Manu Casas; Twist; Real and Unreal.
Personnel
Album information
Title: Transverse | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Calligram Records
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