There is a type of experimental jazz that musicians make that shows off how great they can be. As a listener, it's almost like solving a math problem. Crazy time signatures, instruments flowing in and out of different styles, and a flood of thoughts and feelings as you listen. It can be great to hear, but that's not what Awakening by Andrew Vogt is. It almost hits that point with songs like Wes Waltz and Hammerspace, but not quite. Awakening does an amazing job blending more mathematic jazz with more easy-listening jazz. Much of that is in Andrew Vogt's arrangements. Awakening is fantastic stuff. Let's break it down a bit more.
TRACK #1: AWAKENINGS
This was a great track to start the album. The beginning reminded me of It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday. It's a song from the 1975 film Cooley High but was mastered by Boyz II Men on Cooleyhighharmony. From there, the song opens up with more percussion, more saxophone, and more piano. It's good stuff.
TRACK #2 WES' WALTZ
Wes Waltz was cool. Jazz cool. Cool like you're out watching a Miles Davis show. It has amazing percussion, and despite being a bass player, Andrew Vogt lets the other instruments take charge.
"[Wes' Waltz] was also pre-released last year to honor the passing of my grandfather, Howard Nantz, and to also remember the importance of new life."
TRACK #3: HAMMERSPACE
Hammerspace is a very fun piece of work. I liked it because Andrew Vogt said "(Hammerspace) is used to explain how (cartoon) characters can produce objects out of thin air." As a big fan of animation, a song based on the idea of the liminal space where Bugs Bunny, Mary Poppins, or Sailor Moon pull random objects from is a treat.
Falling more into that complex jazz category, Hammerspace creates an animated scene in my mind. I hear the song and start thinking of cartoon characters trying to find work in a big city. Every time they think they're close, something slapstick happens and they have to start all over. That's the fun sort of feeling Hammerspace provides.
TRACK #4: DUSK
Dusk is awesome. As a lyricist, it's one of my favorite songs on the track. Sarah Marie Young provides the luscious lyrics. Composer Andrew Vogt said he "rearranged and expanded the song into what reminded me of a pop arrangement, back in the days before Logic and overdubs." The arrangement made Dusk feel expansive, but what blew my mind was the rapping-esque poetry of Sharon Irving. Dusk is a pop-jazz sound with a singer and a rapper working together to make magic along with the magnificent strings toward the end of the song.
TRACK #5: DARK BLUES
Dark Blues sounds exactly like the title. It can be hard to explain, but once you hear it, you'll get it. There is outstanding guitar work here. I hate to mention it again, but the arrangement is so good at inspiring the feelings of being in a dark place.
According the composer, "Dark Blues" is a nod to a former bandleader and bandmate of mine the multi talented, drummer extraordinaire Xavier Breaker."
I don't know if Mr. Breaker heard Dark Blues, but I'm confident he would agree with the sentiment, and then write a new song based on the same ideas. Jazz cats are competitive like that.
Bass Etude #1 sounds just like Andrew Vogt described it, "Something I wrote to help me warm up while practicing and serves as an intro into "Eleanor Rigby." This song gives you an idea of how one of the best bass players out there warms up. It is a fun 2:45 bass solo. Andrew Vogt offered many other spots to the collection of players, but Bass Etude #1 is the time for Andrew Vogt to show off his skills.
TRACK #7: ELEANOR RIGBY
The final track on Awakening is a jazz version of the same song released over 50 years ago. Not that I don't have an appreciation for the band that was "more popular than Jesus," but I prefer the Awakening version to the one the Beatles released two generations ago. Much of my love for this version is in it's arrangement.
Starting with a piano, the sax comes in with that same vibe from the original song. It builds slowly with more percussion and a trumpet takes over for the sax. In the Awakening version of Eleanor Rigby, all of the different instruments vibe together. Once again, here is what Andrew Vogt had to say about this track:
"It features a beautifully expansive solo by Dustin Laurenzi as well as some great trading by all the horns towards the end vamp." It all comes together in a fabulous final track.
An Awakening I Can Feel
In my opinion, Awakening by Andrew Vogt is a fantastic record. Regardless of how much music you studied or didn't study, the sound of all these players and genres coming together to make something like this will touch you. You'll feel all sorts of new things with every listen. Give it a chance, even if you don't think of yourself as a jazz person. You won't be disappointed.
Comments