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| O'Leary Horvitz Van Der Schyff Flux reviewed DTMG MARK O'LEARY / DYLAN VAN DER SCHYFF / WAYNE HORVITZ - Flux (FMR 238; UK) Featuring Mark O'Leary on guitar, Wayne Horvitz on piano & prepared piano and Dylan Van Der Schyff on drums & percussion. This is Irish guitarist, Mark O'Leary 10th disc in the past five or so years, so you could say that he is quite prolific. What is interesting is that each of Mark's previous discs has featured different personnel and each has been recorded in different studios, in different countries. This disc was recorded in Seattle where former downtown keyboard wiz, Wayne Horvitz, lives and not far from Vancouver, where occasional Horvitz collaborator, Dylan Van Der Schyff still hails. What I dig about O'Leary is that always chooses his collaborators wisely and changes his style and/or tone in order to accommodate his fellow explorers. For this disc, Mark often plays with a dreamy tone and subtle volume pedal swirls. "Entrance" opens and moves gracefully in slow motion. Soon the ice melts as the tempo and tension slowly creeps upwards. Wayne starts to sneak in some Monk-like phrases on "Contextual" which pushes Mark into a more playful mode. There is a strong, spacious, cerebral vibe on "Vadalfjol, " which I find most enchanting. "Beyond the Abyss" is an aptly titled trek where Wayne plays harp-like sounds inside the piano while Mark spins quick waves of notes and Dylan provides some sizzling cymbals. What I like most about this is the way the trio does a superb job of spinning a magic web around one another, weaving waves of note together into a breathtaking tapestry. - BLG write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |