Hook, Nate: Progressive Overload

Nate Hook is a young tenor saxophonist residing in Austin, Texas. He has assembled a group of young Texas players to make his debut album Progressive Overload. This talented quintet includes Nate Hook (saxophone, flute), Travis Reuter (guitar), Billy Test (piano, keyboards), Louis De Mieulle (bass) and Paolo Cantarella (drums).

Progressive Overload is a complex album mixing jazz and fusion in an intense palette of textures and moods. Improvised solos flow freely over complex drum patterns and swooshing synth patterns and irregular piano motifs. The melodies don't jump out and hit you over the head, no this album requires your full attention to reap its benefits. Of course Hook's saxophone is an important ingredient here and he is a fabulous player as his thoughtful and distinctive tone is present on every track.

The disc begins with the complex jazz fusion of "You Probably Thought This Would Be Fun". A big fuzz laden bass line and washes of synthesizer form the intro before Hook's sax enters the fray and perpendicular guitar lines run counterpoint to the arrangement. The fuzzy toned bass leads to a cleaner sound and the deep bass/drum groove provides a solid backdrop even as the drum work evolves around shifting metric patterns. "20/40 Hindsight" is another complex track as the piano provides a subtle sense of chaos as saxophone adds some surprising melodic textures. The sax and piano solos are certainly highlights. On "Return to Scarcity" Reuter's improvised guitar work has a grittier tone softened by background swells of keyboards while "Lantern Face" bursts with an incredibly crisp rhythm section and an excellent off kilter piano solo. More tremendous sax work and lyrical guitar highlights the dynamic "Dialog Day" whereas the album ending "(No) More Anxiety" is a little softer with catchy flute and sax.

To put it simply Progressive Overload is an outstanding piece of modern jazz that will hopefully get the attention it so truly deserves. For more information click on the link below.

Track Listing:
1. You Probably Thought This Would Be Fun (5:47)
2. 20/40 Hindsight (6:30)
3. Return to Scarcity (6:47)
4. Lantern Face (4:45)
5. Dialog Day (5:32)
6. Little Demons (4:48)
7. Red Hawk (2:21)
8. Lacrimosa (3:54)
9. Stabat Ego (4:45)
10. Yelling at the Stereo (5:21)
11. (No) More Anxiety (3:07)

Added: December 31st 2016
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 2312
Language: english

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