photo courtesy of Bridge Records
"Music of Arlene Sierra, Volume I" CD cover
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By Sherri Rase
“Dmitri Tymoczko–Beat Therapy”—when I first heard the title of this album, I knew I had to give it a listen.  Is this an arch reference to Beat poetry?—or a more literal reference to percussion? A cymbal as a symbol on the cover, crashed to a fare-thee-well, gives pause to one’s thoughts.  This is an album that features eight essays on progressive jazz fusion.  Though the album is mis-genrified, in my opinion, as “rock” by the ubiquitous CD databases, there is a muscular dissonance that evokes urban traffic and the rhythms unique to a big city.  The canvas features drums, of course, but saxophone, trumpet and the richness of virtuosi responding to one another as if they are one singular being.  The tracks are very unique and with “Katrina Stomp,” for instance, the storm itself is evoked in and around a zydeco beat, with the maelstrom sometimes sounding almost klezmer-esque.  Then darker, lower, more bass tones mix in–gathering darkness and the sense of impending … SOMETHING.  Then there’s quiet in the eye of the storm, and then the entropy at the end, leaving devastation, but still a thread of hope.  “Sweet Nothings” could be the rich beginning of a perfect evening, and “Mysterious Stranger” could be that commuter whom you see almost daily, but never trade conversation in the false intimacy of public transportation.  Is it Humphrey Bogart? or Mata Hari?  “Dreams May Come” has a contemplative feel and some synth reminiscent of speculative fiction movies.  What dreams are these, indeed?  Tymoczko is a classically trained musician and when he turns to jazz, none bend the rules better.  Listen with an open mind, this album is like a fine complex wine and needs to open up over time.  Delicious!
In “Music of Arlene Sierra, Volume I,” one finds that, organic as a walk in a forest, Sierra’s music is a force of Nature.  Her work features names like “Cicada Shell (1 and 2)” and some Stravinsky “Rite of Spring”-like phrases that call to mind the frenetic gait of these miraculous creatures.  The “Birds and Insects Book I” selections evoke visions of the struggles on “Animal Planet,” where no matter who prevails, situations end how they must.  “Two Neruda Odes” are vocal works that have an ethereal feel, transcending the earthly denizens of her previous compositions.  The music flows through the lyric, embracing the language, yet the music does not rest.  Sierra composes with a great sense of the voices she’s writing, whether human or instrumental.  She creates a musical landscape that has garnered her awards like the Charles Ives Fellowship, and she was the first woman to ever win the prestigious Takemitsu Prize in 2001.  Her work is popular for its wisdom and wit, and this debut CD will assure her the larger audience she deserves.
Bookmark bridgerecords.com for more information about these and other recent releases as well as a magnificent catalog.