Isolate//Integrate
Orenda, 2023
8/10
The drummer and composer Dean Mucetti brings along his all star band for 6 songs that make up this debut that’s full of funky, polyrhythmic and atypical instrumentation.
“Steps West” opens the listen with Mucetti’s swift drums alongside Miguel Ortiz’s bouncy bass lines and Alex Williams’ playful piano in the nearly prog-like delivery, and “Bell Bud” follows with Jon Aparicio’s frisky guitar playing to complement the finger acrobatics from Brian Hargrove’s keyboards.
“Mother Alone” and “Licking Myself” land in the middle, where the former is quite stylish in its funky demeanor, while the latter illustrates Mucetti’s meticulous drumming amid the glowing keys in a dreamy sort of way.
“Loose Satin” arrives near the end, and is textured with no lack of rhythm or harmonic gestures via its groove filled presence, and “Got Lush” exits with a busy, precise and timeless version of jazz that is quite exciting.
An album that was born out of the pandemic and the subsequent methods to make music, there was a lot of work put into these complex tracks, and nods to names like Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane sure are appreciated.
Travels well with: Esthesis Quartet- Time Zones; Ben Zucker’s Fifth Season- Semiterritory