Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jerry Granelli V16: Vancouver '08

Jerry Granelli V16: Vancouver '08

By Matt Marshall
June 30, 2009
View read count

Jerry Granelli's drums open and close the third release from his V16 outfit, Vancouver '08. In between he mostly sits back and gives ground to electric strings: two guitars and a bass. It's a wise choice. Guitarists Christian Kogel and especially David Tronzo are wizards of the six string. The Live at Ironworks DVD that accompanies this CD provides visual evidence of their tricks. Slide guitarist Tronzo applies not only the traditional steel and glass to his axe, but also "found" slides like a plastic pill bottle and small aluminum vegetable can. He dampens his strings by lodging a cork between the fifth and sixth and the first and second strings, while wedging in a chopstick to use as a whammy bar.

The music alternates between the hypnotic ("Planting" and "Flipper") and the aggressive ("The Truth" and "Unnamed"), belying a searching, Buddhistic wave of expression Granelli says haunts all of his music. Of the guitarists, Kogel's work is the most traditional in nature, laying down grimy rhythm or coursing rather clean, melodic lines. In contrast, as alluded to above, Tonzo likes to load on the eccentric effects. J. Anthony Granelli's bass, far from simply plucking away in the background, hums with an electric sweep or steps up to carry the melody itself.

The jarring "Unnamed" is one of the few tunes in which Granelli's drums take a central role. And the diversity of his playing on the track—both rhythmically and in terms of percussive color—shows why he is considered to be one of the foremost drummers on the scene today. Still, this is a guitar-lover's record, with drummer Granelli slyly pulling the warped and buzzing strings.

Track Listing

Planting; The Truth; Flipper; Brutto Ma Buono; Wellfare; Udon Waltz; Unnamed; Steel Eyed Blues; Murder Ballad; Dizzy Moods; Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans.

Personnel

Jerry Granelli

drums

Christian Kogel: electric guitar; David Tronzo: electric slide guitar; J. Anthony Granelli: bass guitar; Jerry Granelli: drums.

Album information

Title: Vancouver '08 | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Songlines Recordings

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Take Five With Larry Slezak
< Previous

Nick Hempton Band
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.