GAPPLEGATE
MUSIC BLOG
March
10, 2009—The intersection of Rock and Jazz has been with us
ever since Larry Coryell plugged in with the Gary Burton group back
in the mid-‘60s. Since then there have been successes and
failures, the latter usually a product of pressures to appeal to
the lowest common denominator, but also because of creative misfires
or chemistry problems among the musicians involved.
Happily, today’s CD has none of those difficulties. Drummer
David Winogrond’s “In the Ether” (Wondercap) comes
at it from the Rock end. Essentially these are rockers who have
embraced the Jazz spectrum. David has influences from both camps—Elvin
Jones and Gene Krupa but also Keith Moon and Mitch Mitchell. He
finds his own path through the dense underbrush of what has gone
before and emerges as a distinctive self. He is joined by reedist
Jack Chandler, who ably asserts his musical vision, and guitarist
Michael Campagna, who nicely shreds and psychedelisizes himself
throughout much of the disk. When these three go at it, the results
remind one slightly of the music Ginger Baker, Sonny Sharrock and
Peter Brotzmann made a number of years ago. And yet that is only
in terms of the basic stance. Winogrond, Chandler and Campagna go
their own way here. There are cameo appearances by other fellow
travelers as well. All make fitting contributions to the musical
whole.
“In the Ether” shows a flair for combining freedom and
electricity. In the search for viable home-grown energy sources,
Winogrond and company can supply a good chunk of it right now! A
tip of our cap to Wondercap Records for coming out with good sounds
when we most need it.
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