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| Park Evans Quartet: ’Surviving Desire’ by Andrea Canter,Jazz Police Guitarist/composer Park Evans has been building his reputation in the Twin Cities since moving here from Ithaca, NY. His busy schedule includes performing with These Modern Socks, Battle Cat, Katie Gearty, Dub Sack, Sophia Shorai, Fonster, Dub Sack, Enormous, The Tampered Seals, TickleFight and Inspirado, in addition to his Park Evans Quartet. His bandmates also appear in many of the same configurations. Bassist Cody McKinney attended Berklee in Boston and played with east coast bands before relocating to the Twin Cities, where he works in diverse genres from rock and funk to R&B and jazz. His resumé includes John Starkey, Tickle Fight, Axis Mundi, Inspirado, vocalists Katie Gearty and Tresa Sauer, and a variety of combinations with Alicia Wiley, Sophia Shorai, Nate Brown, Clay Moore, Greg Schutte, Tanner Taylor, Pete Henning and Park Evans. Drummer Greg Schutte is a graduate of MusicTech (McNally Smith College) who has backed nearly every vocalist in the Twin Cities as wel as Anthony Cox, Ted Nash, Christian Howes, Kelly Rossum, and more. Greg also produces and records music at the Hot Igloo recording studio in Minneapolis. Saxophonist Peter Vircks has played with Moveable Feast, Brian Ziemniak, Tom Hunter, Blowzone, Yohannes Tona and Jeff Goldstein. Collectively the PEQ are known for their eclectic grasp of modern music, from jazz and indie rock to reggae and Latin to ambient electronica. In addition to their own release, the PEQ recently backed singer Katie Gearty on her eponymous debut recording. On Surviving Desire, four musicians often evoke the sound and intrigue of a larger ensemble, thanks in part to the electronic effects of Evans and McKinney, and in part to the impact of multilayered harmonies of guitar and horn. The eight compositions, all the work of leader Evans, create many moods, from playfully upbeat ("Sugar Styles") to darkly introspective ("Luminosity"). The interplay among these musicians evolves as like a conversation among old friends who know each other well enough to dispense with casual chitchat. On the opening "Please Don't Bother New Jersey, " Evans' vibrating vamp flows beneath Virck's soulful melody on tenor; with some electronic enhancement, Schutte sets up a bubbling net for Evans, who creates melodic single-note lines of his own before passing off to McKinney, who can make an electric bass sing and resonate like fine wood. Vircks ignites an influx of buzzy energy as the quartet resolves, apparently without bothering New Jersey. "Sugar Styles" opens with twisting sax and funky basslines, reminding me of the danceable grooves of local band Chill 7. The blending of sax and guitar effects evokes two horns, while Schutte keeps the groove in funkland, going heavy on two and four while Evans adds dissonant elements to his finger exercises. It's the shortest track and one of the most playful. Coming at a 180 degree angle to "Sugar Styles, " "Nicole's Apparition" aptly creates a ghostly atmosphere, filled with ethereal reverberations, lovely chord tones and balladic guitar lines. Like EST with guitar instead of keyboard, the quartet evokes European elegance and subtle passion, artful yet injected with traces of funk. Schutte's busy percussion contrasts with the softly flowing melodic lines from Evans. Vircks' sax adds a more direct line of melancholy, while McKinney's background bass notes gently push it ahead. On the title track, Vircks blows gently over the trio's vamp, then trades roles with Evans before the quartet blazes through a more complex section. Vircks follows with a driving passage of melodic spiraling lines buoyed by Evan's chordal comping. "Under Florescent Lights" is the longest track at 9 ˝ minutes, a slightly off-kilter blend of metallic flavors in a high tech mousse. Schutte drives the beat with a brittle splatter, while Vircks takes an extended funk-inspired journey. McKinney makes his mark with a solo spin bubbling like molten lava, ready to erupt but simmering just below the surface. Schutte's subtle percussion solo is followed by a few measures pairing horn and guitar, with the quartet fully engaged in the final round. Less complex and much more funky, "Impossible Party" kicks off with a sassy sax and a danceable groove from the strings and percussion. Schutte is impressive in his control of the beat and its elaborations. The final two tracks close the recording on the dark side. "Sorrows Disappear" features haunting lines from bass, then joined by guitar in what could be an introduction to the Addams Family, a catchy vamp that evolves into a more melodic meander. Schutte places his punctuations like a new age grammarian while Vircks takes the melodic lead. Evans adds his variations, slowing down the pace, dissecting chords alone and then in tandem with Vircks, creating lush harmonies that hang in the air. "Luminosity" opens with a rubato display from Schutte that shimmers its way into McKinney's bass ostinato. Evans casts resonating chords as if a net to catch his reverbing phrases, and with Vircks creates a palette of dark watercolors that bleed into each other, a swirl of sound that rises and falls. A subtle break sets up a forceful statement from Evans who picks over a deep dirge from McKinney, with Schutte maintaining the tension throughout. There's a feel of constant movement across these eight tracks, a musical conversation that encounters multiple themes and directions without losing its way. Regardless of the individual personalities, the Park Evans Quartet is most impressive as a well-tethered ensemble where many voices speak one language. The Park Evans Quartet with Jello Slave and Joel Schaan perform at the Varsity Theater on May 25th; The Varsity Theater is located at 1308 Fourth Street SE in Minneapolis; write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |