The words "avant-garde", or in this case "free jazz", once held power, but through the years they've become patsies of sorts -- license for sloppy performers and composers to become more so. Some of the artists who work within this genre carve "go for the pain" on top of their music stands and specialize in unleashing sonic mayhem, working under the assumption that faster, louder and more bombastic equals "experimental". They usually respond to criticism with, "You just don't get it, man."
Not so, on both counts, the Acoustic Reign Project. These five performers combine their experience and diversity -- they've performed with everyone from John Zorn and Daniel Carter (bassist Reuben Radding) to Wayne Horvitz (trumpeter Jim Knodle) to Heart (guitarist Roger Fisher is a founding member of, yes, that Heart), to create music that avoids these pitfalls.
The twenty minute "Depths" begins with each member standing at attention, a call and response of sustained horn notes and the rhythm section in "Bitches Brew" mode (casually wandering around, avoiding the groove without making too much of a ruckus). The track develops from this point in a similar fashion, tenor Brian Kent and Knodle trading solos and building tension to what could be a monstrous climax. Before they wax too dissonant, everything falls away except sax and trumpet, which begin a duet of elided melodies that is soon joined by contrabass. The band remains even more subdued and mysterious while Kent and Knodle sporadically trade solos and Gold opts to switch from kit to wooden chimes and sleigh bells. Slowly gaining momentum, Gold and Radding radically swing the rhythm, but the most exciting moment comes from the stark and beautiful bass solo that carries the piece to its end; the remaining band-members stay back, barely noticeable as they return in near palindrome form.
If the previous track wasn't evidence of Acoustic Reign Project's ability to work in subtlety, "I Don't Need This" takes it down a notch or two, relying on silence and space to make its point. Again, each member announces his attendance, but this time in another language: Kent makes sucking sounds from his reed, Radding pinches strings and taps out harmonics, Gold gives his skins a thumb roll and an occasional com and cymbal roll, while Knodle pulls the group along with a disconnected melody. However, as soon as the other guys follow suit, he decides to speak into his mouthpiece and let out a few overblown squeaks. You'll barely notice the bass and drums, shaking in the depths of the mix, until the band sinks into a jam that rises to a fury (relatively speaking) and ends without warning. The aptly named "Waves (The Storm)" is a tad more boisterous, though it retains the same dynamic feel that you've grown accustomed to so far. Little bursts of melody, quotes from pieces such as "So What" and "Giant Steps", are passed back and forth between Knodle and Kent, while the rhythm section explores various tempos and styles. "Heat" marks the first appearance of guitarist Fisher, and what a first impression it is: his addition firms up the rumbling texture, and he occasionally picks along with the Knodle/Kent combo until his Page-meets-Alex-Lifeson-meets-George-Benson licks stand up for a solo or two of their own.
Even when each player strays from the pack to do his own thing, it's tasteful. No one steps on anyone's toes, and the synergy the band exudes is something that groups who perform together for 20 years would envy.
The members of Acoustic Reign Project definitely respect free jazz tradition, and react accordingly -- that is to say, they're secure enough when working in the genre to use it as a tool rather than a gimmick, and they pull it off with rare grace and competence.
