From Abstract Logix News:
With his provocative new release 24 Tales (shipping April 14; now available for pre-order), Alex Machacek has
sought an inventive new context for both his incredibly fluid, precise
guitar work and his expanding compositional vision. “I have always liked
drums,” Machacek explains. “On so many fusion and jazz records, there
is an extended drum solo. Maybe other people don’t see it like this, but
I always thought, ‘Hey, that’s also music…’ That’s when I got the idea:
how would it sound if I compose something based on a drum solo?”
Following his first performance with drummer Marco Minnemann, Machacek
was so impressed that he asked Minnemann if he would be interested in
contributing a drum solo for such an experience. “He said that he had a
solo recorded – but it was fifty-one minutes long! At first I thought,
maybe I’ll take a section of it to work with…but eventually I decided to
take on the whole thing.”
Minnemann’s solo – a kaleidoscopic rush of rhythmic, textural, and even
melodic devices, all improvised without a click track – became the
backdrop for 24 Tales.
An astonishingly musical effort, nearly symphonic in its vast range of
timbres, use of space, and elegant sense of structure and development,
24 Tales finds Machacek breaking Minneman’s solo into 24 discrete (but
connected) sections. He then composed music for each section, taking
extra care to make sure the transitions were smooth and musical. From
rapid-fire 13/16 scrambles to resonant, chiming long tones – all the
while colored and propelled by Minnemann’s supple traps – the variety of
timbers and rhythmic feels allows Machacek to explore an enormous range
of guitar tones – often in quick succession, expertly creating and
releasing tension and making for unexpected (and unexpectedly appealing)
contrasts. Warm, classic jazz hollow-body sounds intersect with
frenzied fuzz, acoustic slide, and trebly palm-muted figures, sometimes
playing the same passages in unison to create an entirely new tone.
Born in 1972 and raised in Vienna, Machacek has emerged among the most
riveting guitarists and improvisers of his generation, parlaying his
varied background, influences, and experiences (ranging from extensive
classical and jazz training to stints in rock, pop, and folk outfits)
into a rich, unpredictably personal music. His prior two releases –
[Sic] and Improvisation (both on Abstract Logix) – were widely
acclaimed, and featured Machacek alongside such musicians as Terry
Bozzio, Matthew Garrison, and Jeff Sipe. Upon hearing Machacek’s music,
guitar icon John McLaughlin exclaimed, “Alex Machacek's music starts
where other music ends…so spontaneous. He has done some very deep
excavation in the mind of music." Personnel: Alex Machacek (Guitars and everything else); Marco Minnemann
(Drums); Sumitra (Vocals-1 track); Martin Ptak (Trombone-3 tracks) Track Listing:
1. On Your Marks
2. Sit Back and Chillax
3. Tour De France
4. Dancing with the Baby Bear
5. Anamika
6. Pros and Cons of Depression
7. Little Man
8. Tranquillo
9. Tranquilizer
10. Sweet Torture
11. She Likes It
12. See You There
13. X-Mas
14. Feel Me
15. At the Club
16. Eu De Conlon
17. Doldrums
18. Minnemaus in da House
19. Run, Fusion !
20. Air
21. Sexy
22. Blender
23. Quotes
24. Over and Out
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