The End And The Beginning
Astral Spirits, 2022
8/10
Listen to The End Of The Beginning
This first album from RedGreenBlue has the Chicago quartet taking on minimalist ideas that can drone in mesmerizing ways, find itself intimate with a stirring effect, and even flirt with busy territory that illustrates the player’s mastery of their instruments.
“The Beginning” starts the listen with playfully plucked bass and no shortage of atmosphere, where a very hypnotic landscape unfolds as repetition is turned into a refined science. About a third of the way through the 21 minutes the drums come into focus and are used strategically, and setting gets quite abstract towards the end in a blurry, firm, sort of avant-garde fashion.
“The End” is equally unpredictable, and features Ben LaMar Gay on comet and electronics, and uses the brass to complement the mysteriousness of the bass, synth and drums. The 23 minute track possesses the ability to squeal and get nearly intense, but also retreat to a delicate haze that manipulates space well.
Paul Giallorenzo (synth, pump organ, electronics), Charlie Kirchen (bass), Ryan Packard (drums, electronics) and Ben LaMar (cornet, electronics) are the movers and shakers here, and their free jazz exploration and experimental prowess makes The End And The Beginning an excellent starting point.
Travels well with: Adams, Dunns & Haas- Future Moons; The Brodie West Quintet- Meadow Of Dreams