As always some things just drop out of the air as a big surprise, and here Sam Trapchak's Put Together Funny - Lollipopocalypse CD is
one of those. As I mentioned in an earlier blog posting it's always
nice to get new music sent on to you by musicians that enjoy your music
articles. Along with Free Jazz Blog
(which I also write for), the amount of new musicians and styles that I
get to hear is quite astounding, free jazz, grunge jazz, books and all
sorts. Of course the time taken to listen to and write about these
little treats can sometimes take up much of your spare hours, and of
course sometimes the music is not always so interesting .... but I must
say that so far I've been lucky on that count.
The album in question ..... Lollipopocalypse is one hell of an album, introducing me to new players and also to a new writing talent (and naturally strong compositions). In fact it was this aspect that jumped out at me when I started to listen to the album. Something that often takes a while to 'get into', or get used to, was quite immediate on this record. Sam's tunes are instantly attractive but also have a complexity that makes the music very interesting. One can't help but notice Dave Holland's influence (or style) over the tunes, different rhythmic figures and time signatures combined with contrapuntal melodies, and also the groups sound concept. However, the playing of the musicians is certainly not a pale imitation at all but a very mature sounding band with their own voices.
The guitar work of Tom Chang and the outstanding Greg Ward (on alto sax) make the album a real pleasure to listen to with strong solos throughout. I particularly enjoyed Greg Ward's sound which conjures up the history of the saxophone, on 'Losing You' (tk5) he plays with a maturity that brings to mind Johnny Hodges' vibrato, slurring, and sound concept in general, however, on the other tunes Ward's sound (and concept) is very modern. The tunes 'Long Live/Less Say' (tk3) or the opening 'Different Dance' (tk1) have lurching odd meter melodies and grooves which provide exciting rhythmic territory for Greg Ward to really shine on. Tom Chang's guitar playing on these tracks provides an image of a completely mature player. 'On the Cusp of Cancer' (tk2) is probably the only 'rocking' tune on the album and here Chang opts for an out and out raunchy style which suits the music very well. Other treats are 'Tongue and Groove' (tk4) a simple melody filled with rhythmic surprises, the lovely ballad (already mentioned) 'Losing You' (tk5) , the surprise ending of the title tune 'Lollipopocalypse' (tk7), or 'Precious Few' (tk6) a brooding tune with one of the few bass solos nicely featured. In fact the quite presence of the leader Sam Trapchak sometimes makes you forget whose date this is until Sam finally takes a solo! The rhythm section of bass and drums with drummer Arthur Vint keeps this music swinging and relaxed on (often odd meter) tunes that are never showy, just tasteful.
The album in question ..... Lollipopocalypse is one hell of an album, introducing me to new players and also to a new writing talent (and naturally strong compositions). In fact it was this aspect that jumped out at me when I started to listen to the album. Something that often takes a while to 'get into', or get used to, was quite immediate on this record. Sam's tunes are instantly attractive but also have a complexity that makes the music very interesting. One can't help but notice Dave Holland's influence (or style) over the tunes, different rhythmic figures and time signatures combined with contrapuntal melodies, and also the groups sound concept. However, the playing of the musicians is certainly not a pale imitation at all but a very mature sounding band with their own voices.
Long Live/Less Say (tk3)
The guitar work of Tom Chang and the outstanding Greg Ward (on alto sax) make the album a real pleasure to listen to with strong solos throughout. I particularly enjoyed Greg Ward's sound which conjures up the history of the saxophone, on 'Losing You' (tk5) he plays with a maturity that brings to mind Johnny Hodges' vibrato, slurring, and sound concept in general, however, on the other tunes Ward's sound (and concept) is very modern. The tunes 'Long Live/Less Say' (tk3) or the opening 'Different Dance' (tk1) have lurching odd meter melodies and grooves which provide exciting rhythmic territory for Greg Ward to really shine on. Tom Chang's guitar playing on these tracks provides an image of a completely mature player. 'On the Cusp of Cancer' (tk2) is probably the only 'rocking' tune on the album and here Chang opts for an out and out raunchy style which suits the music very well. Other treats are 'Tongue and Groove' (tk4) a simple melody filled with rhythmic surprises, the lovely ballad (already mentioned) 'Losing You' (tk5) , the surprise ending of the title tune 'Lollipopocalypse' (tk7), or 'Precious Few' (tk6) a brooding tune with one of the few bass solos nicely featured. In fact the quite presence of the leader Sam Trapchak sometimes makes you forget whose date this is until Sam finally takes a solo! The rhythm section of bass and drums with drummer Arthur Vint keeps this music swinging and relaxed on (often odd meter) tunes that are never showy, just tasteful.
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Footnote : To save any confusion ...... the group is called (if I understand correctly) 'Sam Trapchak's Put Together Funny'. The album's title is 'Lollipopocalypse'. I didn't get any details of the record label but the disc is available via Sam's website or through CD Baby.
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