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| Signs, the new CD from Irish guitarist Mark O'Leary Signs is Mark O'Leary's first CD for Future Music Records. Featuring Steuart Liebig on electric contrabass and the brilliant West Coast drummer Alex Cline, Signs continues O'Leary's sequence of top-drawer collaborations. O'Leary's previous albums on Leo Records – such as Levitation, Awakening and Chamber Trio - have featured musicians like bassist Steve Swallow, the Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, violinist Mat Maneri and Swiss percussionist Pierre Favré. His latest Leo CD features Cuong Vu on trumpet and Tom Rainey is a tribute to Samuel Beckett called Waiting Each record so far has been a little gem. Sometimes the music is fragile and delicate. Sometimes it's strong, robust and virile. At others, it spills forth in torrents with elemental force and violence. Yet it's all Mark O'Leary. Signs matches O'Leary with two musicians just as searching, eclectic and determined as he is. Both Cline and Liebig choose to play Rock, Jazz, Classical or Free Improvisation according to the stimulation offered by the setting, not according to industry demands. It's a heaven-made match and has led to O'Leary's finest release to date. Signs transcends facile characterisations and expectations. It is not the Sturm Und Drang of musical hyperbole or the desperate minimalism that hides a paucity of ideas. Texture and form are at least as important as the notes or beats each musician plays. O'Leary's soundscapes are both approachable and accessible but are also filled with great richness and depth. O'Leary is forever seeking that perfect piece of music, that perfect sound, that perfect combination of musicians. Signs is more than a continuation of that search. It is a major station on O'Leary's musical journey. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |