Entertwined
Furious Artisans, 2021
8/10
An extremely well thought out project, Entertwined brings 5 decades of compositions by Robert Pollock to 1 lengthy listen, as William Anderson, Oren Fader, the Cygnus Ensemble and the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble all help illuminate Pollock’s inimitable vision.
“Romance-Fantasty” starts the listen with playful keys and plucked strings interacting with much warmth and ingenuity as the setting emits both soothing and experimental qualities, and “Cygnature Piece” follows with 2 movements of bright, quivering strings as much cinematic beauty unfolds in unpredictable ways.
The middle of the listen brings us the flowing and intricate guitar work of “Metaphor”, where William Anderson’s skills are both mesmerizing and inspiring, while “Chamber Setting #2” recruits the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble as Peter Jarvis conducts on the charming, strategic and eventually busy display of frisky percussive ideas.
“Metaphor” exits the listen, and this time it’s the vibraphone version, complete with mallet acrobatics that are as impressive as they are memorable on the album’s stand out performance.
A veteran pianist and composer, Pollock’s work has clearly remained consistently creative and well crafted, as this wide peek into his art proves, and the esteemed talent on hand help make this an ideal starting place if you’re new to his work, and certainly an important piece for the longtime fan.
Travels well with: Ken Field- Transmitter; Gina Biver- Nimbus