CD Review: Tom Chang - Tongue and Groove.

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.

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Steve H.