As We Are
Cedille, 2022
8/10
The creative saxophonist Julian Velasco brings us a very exciting contemporary classical listen here, where Winston Choi’s piano prowess complements the tenor, alto and soprano sax that also flirts with electronics.
“Come As You Are”, by Steven Banks, starts the listen with the soothing tenor sax and eloquent keys interacting with incredible warmth and beauty, where moments of swift playing and firm bouts of dense musicianship are quite unpredictable, and David Maslanka’s “Tone Studies No. 5: Wie bist du, Seele” follows with a very intimate delivery of stirring song craft.
In the middle, the adventurous spirit of “Court Dances”, by Amanda Harberg, showcases incredible chemistry between the soprano sax and piano, while Elijah Daniel Smith’s “Animus” brings electronics into the soprano sax that emits a dreamy, cinematic and very atypical presence that makes this the best track.
Christopher Cerrone’s “Liminial Highway” exits the listen, and is also packed with electronics in a sci-fi sort of way that manipulates the soprano sax via a hypnotic and mesmerizing fashion that uses flutter-tongue, slap-tongue, and key clicks, all while enlisting a harmonica and empty beer bottles, too.
This is Velasco’s first album as a soloist, and he sure makes an impression with his fusion, worldly and poetic version of classical sounds that are easy to admire and hard to forget.
Travels well with: Black Oak Ensemble- Avant l’orage: French String Trios 1926-1939; Aznavoorian Duo- Gems From Armenia