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Michael Musillami: Life Anthem
ByMusillami is credited with all the composing and arranging of the 15 tracks, but there's a collaborative feel to the recording, particularly as the band spent the first of its two days in the Firehouse 12 studios freely improvising. A few of the briefer tracks maintain that approach, like the spare "Slow Bleed," with Musillami's restraint evident in a patient dialogue with Fonda and Schuller, and "Night Walker," where Knuffke joins the action with an appropriately unsettling, dreamlike delivery that is echoed by the rest of the quintet. But most of the music involves complex, yet malleable, composed structures perfect for straddling the ground between tight ensemble interaction and adventurous moves outward.
An ideal example of the band's ability to maintain its impressive cohesion while still retaining a spirit of the unpredictable is the lengthiest of the tracks, "Visions," where the guys get to stretch out over twelve minutes of inspired burning. Schuller kicks things off with a nimble solo before the rest jump into the rock-inflected post-bop head, Fonda's lithe musicality a particular highlight, with Robinson and Knuffke providing plenty of dynamism and excitement. And when the horns bow out and the trio gets its own space, one can hear the fruits of years of mutual partnership, as the three move as one while leaving strict time behind.
There are moments of somber, low-key intensity dispersed throughout the album, but the most stimulating moments are undoubtedly those where all five bring their full powers to bear, as on the insinuating groove of "Dr. Mohamad Khaled, Neurosurgeon," where Schuller's multi-rhythmic acumen is on display, or "June Recovery," which uses a catchy ostinato line from Fonda to anchor searching musings from Musillami, Robinson and Knuffke.
A recording not only of superb music but also a witness to hope and perseverance, Life Anthem truly delivers on the album's title. And we can all be grateful that Musillami, as he attests in the liner notes, is indeed "fine and better than ever."
Track Listing
Life Anthem (solo cornet); I Hear Sirens in the Distance; MRI Countdown; Slow Bleed; Dr. Mohamad Khaled, Neurosurgeon; I’m Beginning to Feel Life’s Pulse Again; June Recovery; Nurse Roe; ICU Blues; Visions; Night Walker; Renewed Focus; Family; Think of Something Beautiful; Life Anthem (full ensemble).
Personnel
Michael Musillami
guitarMichael Musillami: guitar; Joe Fonda: bass; George Schuller: drums; Kirk Knuffke: cornet; Jason Robinson: tenor and soprano sax, alto flute.
Album information
Title: Life Anthem | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Playscape Recordings
Comments
About Michael Musillami
Instrument: Guitar
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