Bambi Wolf, Crystal Clear (indie)
A Review
Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Bambi Wolf reaches for the light on her moody new solo
album, 
Crystal Clear, whose songs center on a personal struggle for freedom from dark memories and haunting self-doubt. With the exception of vocalist Leah Burkhardt on one track and bodhrán player Benjamin Jackson on another, the entire album was “written, composed, arranged, performed, recorded, mixed, and produced” entirely by Wolf,
according to the liner notes. She draws on classical, rock, and folk elements to craft a richly layered sound that verges on the
orchestral at times. (See end of review for Sunday’s CD release party info.)
Tag Archives: musically speaking
Birds of Chicago Fly to the Heart of Things
When was the last time you heard the words “moonglow” and “tapeworm” in the same song?
Right, never—unless you’ve heard Birds of Chicago, a musical collective that spins around its two singer/songwriters: J.T. Nero (aka Jeremy Lindsay), of the rock/soul band JT and the Clouds, and Allison Russell, best known as half of the urban folk band Po’ Girl.
Their penetrating, poetic, off-center but on-target songs take flight on two of the more
distinctive voices on the Americana scene. Nero’s scratched, soulful vocals and phrasing bring Sam Cooke to mind, while Russell brings a crystalline warmth that can tease out the most
delicate emotions. Each of those voices seems to provide the perfect backdrop for the other, and together, they take a firm but gentle hold on your ears and won’t let go.
Gliding on the wings of their eponymous premiere album, Nero and Russell, with help from bassist Chris Merrill and drummer Nick Chambers, will bring their blues, soul, country, rock,
zydeco, folk, honky tonk, what-have-you tunes to the Old Church in Corrales this Tuesday, and it’s not to be missed.
Home Grown, Pt. 6: Sage and Jared’s Happy Gland Band (Updated)
Things are heating up here as the weather cools down. My non-music-related clients are in a fever to spend their budgets before year-end so that they don’t have their budgets cut in the coming year. So after months with my business afloat in the doldrums, I’ve suddenly picked up a serious trade wind and am making good speed with full sails.
Meanwhile, the musicians, songwriters, and promoters in the Santa Fe/Albuquerque
corridor have gone gonzo with new projects. A half-dozen or so new album releases are forthcoming, the concert series are in
overdrive, and there’s a not-to-be-missed one-off performance that I’ll be writing about in the coming week.
Here’s a review of the first of the fall crop. A CD release party is scheduled: see the details at the bottom.
Flooded Away, Sage and Jared’s Happy Gland Band (indie)
The premiere release from Sage and Jared’s Happy Gland Band, Flooded Away may be the most charmingly peculiar—or maybe that’s peculiarly charming—album I’ve heard since Jared
Putnam’s Brontosaurus on Pluto nearly three years ago. It’s certainly the most seriously silly and whimsical.
A Sustained Synesthesia
Myra Melford, Life Carries Me This Way (Firehouse 12 Records)
Pianist Myra Melford came through town
recently, appearing at the Outpost as a
member of drummer Allison Miller’s group Boom Tic Boom. When she sat down at the piano, I wondered if all the piano teachers in the room were cringing, because her seat was set so low that she had to reach up to get her hands on the keyboard. Glenn Gould is the only other pianist I’ve seen who sits so low, but neither his nor Melford’s expressive abilities seem to be compromised by the
unorthodox elevation.
I spoke briefly with her after the show, and shaking her hand, I was reminded just how diminutive she is. Her hands are quite small by
pianist standards, but that doesn’t seem to get in her way, either. She brings a ton of
inspiration and information to the piano, and she has enough of a reach to get to some very interesting and unexpected places in your ear.
She confessed to being nervous about her new album, Life Carries Me This Way, because first, the subject matter is close to her heart, and second, it’s her first solo recording. It’s remarkable that so mature, inquisitive, thoughtful, and well-established an artist as Melford—a 2013 Guggenheim Fellow and Doris Duke Performing Artist Award winner—has never ventured into the studio alone. I’m glad she did, and she’s got nothing to be nervous about.
Rahim AlHaj Continues the Journey
It’s been a while since I’ve had a close listen to the recordings of Iraqi oud player/composer Rahim AlHaj or heard him play live. His upcoming appearance here in Albuquerque at the
Outpost this weekend and the release of a new album, however, have provided the
opportunity to do both, and I’m grateful for it.
Photo by Douglas Kent Hall.
One night earlier this week, I gave my full attention to the new album, Journey (Ur Music). I was quickly and happily reminded of his expressive virtuosity and the soulful beauty of his
compositions. So now I’m looking forward even more to this Saturday’s concert, where AlHaj, as soloist and in duets with percussionist Issa Malluf on daf and doumbek, will present
traditional and original works, including material from his current symphonic project.