Andrew D'Angelo, alto sax, bass clarinet; Chris Speed, tenor sax, clarinet; Kurt Rosenwinkel, guitar; Jim Black, drums. This title was part of the CounterCurrents series, with cover design by Steve Byram.
This ensemble resists description, and that's no bad thing.
As jazz approaches its second century, it has earned—for good or otherwise—its critical language, every well-weighed word of which encounters zero gravity in the Human Feel atmosphere. With no bandleader, no "front line," and no bass, these four very individual players—all under thirty years old—have freed themselves from the conventional jazz-quartet structure and its attendant baggage of expectations to form a four-cornered unit that's anything but rectilinear.
This is not to say that they reject tradition. But instead of referring to what has gone before, they encounter jazz on their own terms. They can play as if possessed by the spirits that rejoiced through the Ayler brothers more than a lifetime ago, yet their songwriting is intricately contemporary in structure, requiring precision as well as passion. As with the best of the avant-garde in any genre, Human Feel applies new values that challenge received wisdom with compelling integrity and force.
Empathy is foremost. In an era that has canonized improvisational music till there's almost no way to be surprised any more, their chapter and verse is the personal—and it works. Three of the four have played together since high school days, and all have developed an uncommon closeness that's essential to Human Feel's characteristic sound. You can hear them listening to each other, reevaluating, reacting; there's both urgency and joy in the process. Every moment is charged with meaning, yet it's clear throughout that these are also guys having fun—really, really talented guys having fun.
Human Feel: Welcome to Malpesta
| MP3/320 | $9.99 | |
| FLAC | $9.99 | |
| WAV | $9.99 | |
| CD-R+ | $15.99 |
A *.pdf of the notes may also be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Sich Reped
Andrew D'Angelo
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Iceaquay
Chris Speed
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Undral Malpest Seam
Andrew D'Angelo
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Retrogression
Chris Speed
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Sphasos Triem
Andrew D'Angelo
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An Hour Ago
Kurt Rosenwinkel
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Buy
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Moods
Andrew D'Angelo
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Buy
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Kaleema
Andrew D'Angelo
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Buy
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Greenway
Andrew D'Angelo
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Pith
Chris Speed
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Buy
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Yesterday I Passed
Chris Speed
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Buy
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