![]() ![]() Integral to the success of this album are the various arrangements by contemporary women composers Wharton asked to contribute to Grit & Grace. ![]() Wharton and her band Bonegasm could be categorized as a novelty act - but Wharton’s new recording for Sunnyside, Grit & Grace, defies that label: Wharton and her band excel at the rhythmic and harmonic freshness that propels mainstream jazz. Count her among the very few professional jazz female trombonists who tour and teach. Her formal background musically consists largely of playing in symphony orchestras and for Broadway shows. She’s the leader of a band fronted by four trombonists, one of whom is her husband. Trombonist Jennifer Wharton personifies a rare presence in today’s jazz scene. Grit & Grace – Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm (Sunnyside) It’s a hoot to listen on the headphones as the sounds zoom and shift around to animate movie scenes in your brain. With a more ponderous musician, it could be a mess, but here it comes across with humor and an infectious (and affectionate) groove. “Grading” puts the two approaches together - there’s a few bars of funk, then a few bars of swing and walking bass. “Swunk” does the opposite, with a funk bassline over a swinging jazz rhythm. On “The Accuweather Forcast,” he plays a slick walking jazz bass line over a funk groove. I like the way Goldsher mixes jazz and funk across the bass and the drums. Grooves this thick make you miss the solos, however - this would be a great practice album for providing your own. The track features an organ that sounds like it’s riffing on the Sanford and Son theme, and “The Written Word” recalls Barney Miller. One track is titled “It’s the Nineties,” complete with vinyl sound effects. There’s a ’70s-’90s retro feel to most of the disc. The electronic exceptions are there for good reason, such as the subwoofer-rattling synth bass on “Bo Knows” or the hip-hop feel of “My Favorite Sport.” ![]() Goldsher can throw down on bass and provide the fatback on drums, humanizing the music way beyond what often passes for creativity online these days. Here, he supplies the music, and the imaginative listener provides the movie. On this album, experienced arranger and multi-instrumentalist Alan Goldsher has come up with an entertaining example of the underground genre of Library Music: in this case focusing on the incidental music for movies, TV programs, and commercials. Add it to a playlist, put it on shuffle, and you’ll have 19 funky little interludes. This hard-grooving collection would be a fine addition to your streaming music library (it’s not for sale that I could find). Each month, our arts critics - music, book, theater, dance, television, film, and visual arts - fire off a few brief reviews.Ī Soundtrack in Search of a Movie – Alan Goldsher (Gold Note Records) ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |