“Exceptional Chaos” by Ryan Saranich is a jazz-infused album from the space age. With six instrumental pieces, the album takes the audience on a musical journey through the mind of its creator.
The pieces of the album are connected through their harmonic and melodic progressions. While each track on its own has a complete form, it also acts as a part of a whole inside the storyline of the album.
“Like-Minded Tyrant” starts the album and is in two parts. With the first part being a prelude to the second and the album as well, these two tracks are connected with each other smoothly through their harmonic similarities. You won’t notice the change of the track if you listen to them back to back. “Escape Plan,” the hidden gem inside the heart of the album, is also the longest piece of the album. This piece has interesting development with saxophone at the center stage in the first part and synth in the second half. The melodic progression is amazingly catchy and creates a warm and pleasant feeling for the ears. “Innerspace Outerfrence,” as the fourth piece, has the same energy as its predecessors. The bass solo in this piece is just mesmerizing. “Destination Unknown” starts with an oriental-sounding percussion and develops into a soft piece full of improvisation-sounding melodies by sax and electric piano. “To the Center of the Galaxy” is the closing piece of the album, a mysterious-sounding piece that prepares the audience for the unknown voyage ahead.
The instrumentation of the music in this album is brilliant. While the main character of the album is the saxophone, all the instruments such as guitar, synth, piano, bass, and percussion get their opportunity to show off their unique timbre and develop the story from their perspective.
Ryan’s sixth release as a band, “Exceptional Chaos” pays homage to the writings of jazz giant Chick Corea. This album features special guests Manuel Valera (Vital Information) and Harry Waters (Roger Waters).
The influence of different genres, including rock, contemporary classical, and new age, among others, can be found in the composition style of Ryan Saranich. While this album can be categorized as jazz or jazz-fusion, there are several moments that suggest otherwise.
The album does not have a literal storyline to follow, but nevertheless, the narrative quality of the pieces cannot be ignored. The modulations, sudden changes in rhythm, and occasional changes in tempo, hand in hand with melodic developments, create an engaging drama.
Besides the musical voyage in the album, it is interesting to witness the personal journey of Ryan as an artist. We have to wait for his next release to hear what more he has to offer us.
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