All About Jazz
Master of the vibes and marimba,
DJ Bonebrake leads a trio with Paul Eckman on bass and Danny Frankel
on drums through a set of original compostitions that emphasizes
colorful mood and themes over empty soloing. Creating a series of
sonic environments with intransient grooves, DJ Bonebrake’s
trio can create ethereal atmospheres as in “Abstract,”
or in the bluesy riffs of “High Low.” Frankel and Eckman’s
steady pulsed beat sets the stage for DJ Bonebrake in the gently
driving “Bernstein 007” and sultry and undulating “Lullabye.”
The three display sensitive interplay throughout The Other Outside,
particularly on the slowly developing “Shakers.” Original
in concept, DJ Bonebrake gets to the marrow of each mood in his
The Other Outside, a very well crafted disc.
Gapplegate Blog--December
16, 2008
The group X always had a particular originality that made for interesting
listening. Their drummer, DJ Bonebreak, turns out to be more than
a solid anchor for such a group. He has been busy woodshedding on
the mallet instruments to the point where he is a capable player
with his own conception of what to play and when to play it.
The West Coast label Wondercap has just released a CD of Bonebreak
and a tight little trio called “The Other Outside.”
It has a Jazz outlook, but finds itself developing grooves that
have a vaguely Rock aura in their regular pulse and cyclical repetition
of motifs. But Bonebreak’s vibes (and occasional Marimba)
have a moodiness and personal quality that distinguish this CD from
something more ordinary. There aren’t that many passages of
improvisation in the conventional Jazz sense, but the ultimate effect
is one of a series artist giving us a stripped down, naked presentation
of the music in him. It has a good range of pieces and it maintained
this listener’s attention throughout. And he reminds me a
little of the late Walter Dickenson. A good CD for those who like
the vibes thing, or to get more exposure to that instrument and
what it can do. Signing off -- Grego (www.gapplegate.com)
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