Touch And Go
Bridge, 2025
9/10
The American mallet wizard, Gwendolyn Dease, fleshes out the works of Paul Lansky with some excellent guests on hand to honor his 80th birthday.
“Patterns (In Wood And Metal)” opens with the mallet quartet of Dease, Ji Hye, Jisu Jung and Ayano Kataoka working together with mystery and melody, and “Metal Light” continues with a small percussion set to accompany Dease’s animated vibes.
The back half leads with “Hop”, where Yvonne Lam’s violin interacts with much beauty and color for the dynamic and lively album highlight, while the title track exits with 20+ minutes of cinematic and soaring qualities thanks to the Michigan State University Wind Symphony’s contributions that suit Dease’s unpredictable and flowing percussion.
This is Volume 18 of Bridge’s Paul Lansky series, and the solo, duo, quartet and ensemble settings make for creative, harmonic and timeless music that’s instantly gripping.
Travels well with: Patrick Stoyanovich- Rue Paradis; David Starobin- Virtuosi