Los Angeles

Jan 7 2019

Best of 2018 #33: David Dominique – “Mask”

 

When I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily, I stated “Much in the same, mind-bending way one could draw a short line from a what-even-was-that Charles Mingus to traditional jazz and blues, so it is with the latest from David Dominique.”  And that, truly, sums up my fascination with this album.  Stare at a common image with all you got while simultaneously drifting off into daydreams, and eventually there grows a disconnect between what you are staring at and how the waking dream state colors and warps it into something strangely alien yet still hauntingly familiar.  That’s Dominique with jazz and blues.  You might encounter a Best Of list that has Mask situated in their top ten.  It’s a decision that should go without generating controversy.  There is something inarguably special about this album.

Released on Orenda Records.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Music from Los Angeles, CA.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

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Jan 4 2019

Best of 2018 #44: Anthony Shadduck – “Quartet / Double Quartet”

 

There’s an absorbing personality borne by the dual nature of Anthony Shadduck’s 2018 release.  One half of the recording is a single quartet that utilizes an engaging melody to dive deep into contemplative territory, like in that way the phrase Once Upon a Time leads to lifetime memories of childhood tales.  And then there’s the second half of the recording, with twice the personnel, and an abounding effusiveness.  Aside from behaving as an emotional counterbalance to the album’s quieter half, it’s like a celebration that those childhood story memories still burn bright today.

Released on Joyful Noise Recordings and Big Ego Records.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Music from Los Angeles, CA.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

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