Tom Chang - Guitar, Greg Ward – Alto Sax, Jason Rigby – Tenor
Sax, Chris Lightcap – bass Gerald Cleaver – drums, Akshay Anatapadmanabhan –Kanjira/Mridangam,
T.H. Subash Chandran – Konnakol.
(Review by
Steve H.)
The title of this album sent shivers down my
spine as it brought forward images of parquet flooring and other equally neat forms of jointed wood
panelling to my dishevelled mind. Fortunately,
musicians and music dovetail perfectly in this debut album by guitarist Tom Chang.
This album is bookended by tunes Spinal Tap/Goes to 11 and Spinal Tap Tk.2 which unsurprisingly are
rampant heavy metal bashes . In between these twin stalwarts there are a
variety of styles from the fairly
straight ahead Djangologo to the only
non Chang penned number the classical composer Anton Webern’s Variations for Piano Op.27 which
meanders somnambulistically into the short discordant Sleepwalker without blinking an eye. The two standout tracks on the
album are the title track Tongue and
Groove and a blues number which I will dedicate to our own black and white
heroes Bar Codes. The former has an
amazing vocal percussive opening known
as a Konnakol performed by Southern Indian Carnatic percussionist T.H. Subash
Chandran the piece continues with the
alto of Ward and Chang’s guitar circling
around Cleaver’s conventional western
drums and Anatapadmanabhan’s Indian
Kanjira drum. A short cheerful
interlude Scatterbrain leads into the aforementioned humdinger Bar Codes - blues rock number which at
times has Chang playing in the style of
rock god Jimmys (Page and Hendrix) whilst Rigby on tenor performs a pure blues
solo if only The Toon could play with
such passion. We are brought back down
to earth with the subtle double bass led The
Logos before the penultimate track the highly enjoyable Entangled Heart with its Latin undercurrent brings us to
the final headbanging reprise of Spinal
Tap. If only my wife would let me use power tools I would be inspired to
re-lay the dining room floor.
Steve H.
2 comments :
HI,
Great Album, but where to buy it?
Tiziano Switzerland
Usual suspects I guess. Amazon or CD Baby (see added link).
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