Bryant, Dave: The Garden Of Equilibria

The Garden Of Equilibria, the new release by keyboard extraordinaire Dave Bryant is certainly a tough nut to crack and will not be for the musically unadventurous.

You may be familiar with Bryant and his work in Ornette Coleman's Prime Time Band for which he started in 1990 as a touring member and played on the band's Tone Dialing disc. His years with Coleman date back to 1983 when he began studying with the jazz master.

Bryant's latest disc will take time to fully digest as there is so much to take in. When describing this music there is no better place to start than with the album's first track "Four Ways In", a four part epic over twenty-two minutes long. Eerie instrumentation, riveting piano lines that are at times completely improvised and wild saxophone excursions form the basis of this tune. For experimental jazz look no further than this piece. On "Solo No. 2", it is just that, solo piano that is both complex and free form demonstrating just how talented a player Bryant is.

The other epic is the title track which is even more bizarre than the first as wild piano lines, complex drum patterns and chaotic percussive sounds, winding bass and off kilter cello combine in a cacophonic bundle of sounds and textures completely devoid of structure and discernable melody. This one is certainly not for the faint of heart.

Whether you will enjoy The Garden Of Equilibria is hard to say. Those in search of music that pushes boundaries and compositional form might want to give this one a try. For everyone else this will be a tough sell.

Track Listing:
1. Four Ways In (22:29)
i. Arena
ii. Blind Spot
iii. Unknown
iv. Façade
2. Solo No. 2 (7:50)
3. The Garden Of Equilibria (19:52)
4. Check Your Lid (5:30)
5. Solo No. 1 (7:36)
6. Salutations (8:53)
7. Secret Handshake (5:23)

Added: September 23rd 2015
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1502
Language: english

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