What do you get when you combine Jack Johnson era Miles Davis, Headhunters era Herbie Hancock, and early Weather Report? Well, it might sound something like Klearlight, the debut album from the conglomerate known as Wasafiri. Eastwood Music Group co-founders Luke Sardello and Skin Wade had a desire to put a group together that brought back the classic funk & fusion sounds of the '70s, and assembled a young group of musicians who made that happen here on Klearlight. Wasafiri is comprised of:
Kwinton Gray: keyboards
Ethan Ditthardt: guitar
Max Gerl: bass
Marcus Jones: drums
Nick Rothouse: Percussion
Shelley Carrol: flute and sax
Matthew Babineaux: bass clarinet and flute
Cole Riddle: Prophet synth
Tight & funky in spots ("G's Bounce"), exploratory, spacey, and jammy in others ("Annohs" and "Future Step"), there's no shortage of vintage sounds to be found here on Klearlight. Silky guitar tones permeate the melodic "Embarkation", while the complex grooves and searing guitar solos of "The Traveler" take things into aggressive fusion territory. Old school fans will love their take on the Pharaoh Sanders classic "The Creator Has a Master Plan", complete with squonking sax and velvety electric piano, and there's an airy Latin feel to the rhythmic "Reminiscence". The wildest track though might be "Wasafiri Theme", a near 10-minute jaunt with loads of sensational fusion passages, guitar and keys battling for supremacy over busy dum & bass patterns. Exciting stuff!
Klearlight is another standout fusion release from 2022, so if you perhaps missed this when it first came out, now's the time to dive in deep.
Track Listing
1.
G's Bounce 07:12
2.
Annohs 10:43
3.
Embarkation 08:37
4.
T1 - Origin 00:46
5.
The Traveler 05:15
6.
T2 - Message 00:46
7.
The Creator Has a Master Plan 10:32
8.
Reminiscence 06:01
9.
T3 - Resolve 00:41
10.
Wasafiri Theme 09:36
11.
Future Step 08:35
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
