Brian Patneaude is a saxophonist and composer from upstate New York. Originally influenced by Michael Brecker, he has evolved to build his own lyrical, flowing style of playing and writing. He has developed a network of musicians and fans over the years and was able to make use of this group of supporters by developing this project through the DIY funding website Kickstarter. He is accompanied on this album by David Caldwell-Mason on acoustic and electric piano, Mike DelPrete on bass, Danny Whelchel on drums. The album is filled with melodic, accessible mainstream jazz, typified by the two opening performances, "Lake Timeless" and "Too Vast for Malice." The band's traits are immediately heard - a laser focus on the music at hand a keen listening ability that allows them to shift tempo and focus at will. I was very excited to hear the title track of my favorite Wayne Shorter album, "Juju," on the album. The group takes full advantage of the freedom and complexity of Shorter's composition. Using some nice and subtle electric piano the band is able to tap into the enigmatic nature that makes Shorter's compositions so compelling. The original composition "Aimless Antithesis" builds an aggressive opening statement into a woven texture reminiscent of bassist and composer Ben Allison's multi-faceted work. The percussive vamping piano, and locked in bass and drums create an excellent foundation for creative and patient saxophone soloing, as well as a fine spotlight for Caldwell-Mason. This was a really well done album of modern mainstream jazz. The musicians were tightly focused and made the most of their time in the studio, producing a finely crafted music that develops and molds it's space and time to develop a coherent and well paced set of very enjoyable music. All Around Us - BrianPatneaude.comSend comments to Tim.
Originally, this story was begun many years ago as a collaboration between Banks and one of my other favorite authors, Ken Bruen. Two of my favorite writers working together: what could possibly go wrong? Well everything and nothing - the story is simply extraordinary, but because it didn't fit in any preconceived genre and contained a lot of British and Irish slang, it was deemed unpublishable and languished in a drawer for years until seeing the light of day as an electronic book. It's a crackling story, one of Banks' finest, the story of two old army pals, Cobb, a down but not out Englishman who just kicked a coke habit, but can't kick the habit of stealing from thrift stores and Farrell, an Irishman, who is on the trail of his girlfriend Nora who has split with 20,000 euros of Farrell's money along with his favorite jacket. Hooking up in Newcastle, they try to track down Nora and get the money back. This is where things go off the rails. Nora turns up dead outside of a trailer where Cobb and Farrell were holing up. Finding out that the mysterious Frank O’Brien, ex-con and drug dealer, was behind Nora’s death, leads the duo down the road to revenge. This was a very well told story, rife with dark yet hysterical humor. Banks splits the narrative into two first person accounts of the protagonists, showing differing views of the events and their bickering like an old married couple. Ray Banks has the total package here - a ripe story, memorable characters, dark humor and a rollicking pace that never lets up.
A teenager lies dead in the woods and soon becomes a morbid and lurid attraction for his classmates who file by the body. The unnamed protagonist is also a student, an abused outsider and loner who has served time in prison and psychiatric hospitals, and is irresistible to the girls. Learning that Ricky Kelso aka “The Acid King” is responsible for this murder, he allows himself to be lured to a drug fueled party where Kelso and his inner circle hold court in a blood and sex soaked bacchanal. After Kelso is arrested and commits suicide in jail, the narrative shifts. The protagonist is now a few years older, holding down a menial job after high school, when he falls for another femme fatale, one who is involved in a witches coven, one that practices bloody rituals by moonlight. Once again lured into a situation beyond his control, he has to fight for his very life and sanity in order to survive. Haunted (sometimes literally) by the ghosts of his past, he strives to make the best of himself delving into law enforcement and finally becoming involved in one of the most notorious cases in New York City history. The story was unusually choppy for Tom Piccirilli, who usually weaves together a very tight narrative. This one skips and jumps, then ends abruptly with a lot of unanswered questions. Perhaps this novella is the trial run for a full length rewrite of the story - it certainly has potential.
LP. It is hard to believe that a 73 year old man who has lived such a hard life can play with such an extraordinary amount of passion, but Gayle proves that power and commitment to vision and spirit are timeless virtues. 
