Tom Csatari’s Uncivilized has a new album coming out, which is a great excuse to write something about a musician I really enjoy

This is the not the first time I’ve written about the music of Tom Csatari, and there is exactly a zero percent chance it will be the last.  My adoration of his music began when I first heard (and wrote a little something about) the album that kind of started off his current ensemble project, aptly titled Uncivilized.  His combination of intense melodicism and casual delivery is something I happily mainline every time I need music that taps into an emotional nerve while simultaneously providing an intellectual kickstart.  That he switches effortlessly between originals and covers of Lee Morgan and Elliott Smith is seriously nifty, but that he’s able to refocus that music through his singular concoction of modern jazz, alt-folk, pop music, avant-garde, pure rock bombast and all kinds of other genre ingredients is what amps up the level of intrigue three or five notches.

The upcoming release Uncivilized Plays Peaks came about from a 2017 show at Brooklyn’s Barbès when the Uncivilized ensemble scooped up the music of TV show Twin Peaks into its embrace.  It comes out July 1st, 2018.  Here’s a preview of what’s to come.

Your album personnel:  Tom Csatari (electric guitar, compositions, arrangements), Julian Cubillos (electric guitar), Nick Jozwiak (double bass), Rachel Housle (drum set, percussion), Dominic Mekky (organ, sound design), Levon Henry (alto sax), Kyle Wilson (tenor sax), Casey Berman (bass clarinet), Tristan Cooley (flute) and guest vocalist Ivy Meissner.

Learn more about the album, and pre-order it, on the artist’s Bandcamp page.