Brian Blade Perceptual CD

Brian Blade Fellowship: Brian Blade (vocals, acoustic guitar, drums); Melvin Butler (soprano & tenor saxophones); Myron Walden (alto saxophone, bass clarinet); John Cowherd (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, pump organ); Kurt Rosenwinkel (acoustic & electric guitars); Dave Easley (pedal steel guitar); Chris Thomas (acoustic bass).
Additional personnel: Joni Mitchell (vocals); Daniel Lanois (electric & pedal steel guitars).
Principally recorded at Avatar Studios, New York, New York in September 1999. Includes liner notes by Brian Blade.
Personnel: Brian Blade (vocals, acoustic guitar, drums); Joni Mitchell (vocals); Daniel Lanois (guitar, acoustic guitar); Kurt Rosenwinkel (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Myron Walden (bass clarinet, alto saxophone); Melvin Butler (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Jon Cowhred (Fender Rhodes piano, pump organ); Christopher Thomas (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Joe Ferla.
Liner Note Author: Brian Blade.
Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, NY (09/1999); Teatro, Oxnard, CA (09/1999).
Director: Gordon Jee.
Photographers: Edward Curtis; Deborah Feingold.
With this second date from the Fellowship, Brian Blade proves that while he is one of the most in-demand session drummers of the '90s, his skills as a bandleader and composer are not to be overlooked. Blade composes songs as if he were painting a broad mural. He sculpts landscapes of sound, orchestral in their feel and truly breathtaking in their grandeur. His own playing, sinuous and breathy, ties the septet together in ways that recall the best progressive jazz of the 1960s, as well as the fusion of the 1970s. Inspired by childhood memories of fishing the Louisiana bayous of his youth on "Evinrude-Fifty (Trembling)"; or ethnic strife around the world, as on the three-part epic "Variations of a Bloodline"; or by the violent world that children must face every day "Steadfast," Blade broadens the scope and ambition of his music even further, almost matching its melodic breadth. New guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel adds dynamic colors to the group's sound, and the solos from pedal steel player Dave Easley are again transcendent. For Perceptual, Blade even handled production duties himself, and in all honesty, turned in a finished product more complete and engaging the group's Daniel Lanois-produced debut. Lanois plays spooky fuzz guitar on one track, and former Blade employer Joni Mitchell adds a willowy vocal on another. ~ John Duffy
Drummer Brian Blade takes the path less traveled with his sophomore release PERCEPTUAL. Rather than following the more traditional routes with which he has made his mark, Blade opts for a more ethereal, almost folk-like jazz style that incorporates everything from pop and country to avant-garde styles. It is evident that this is very personal music for Blade and his Fellowship; for the listener, it is a glimpse into the creative mind of one of the most mesmerizing percussionists in jazz.
The guitar of Kurt Rosenwinkel and the pedal steel glissandos of Dave Easley blend uniquely with Myron Walden's gentle sax and clarinet tones throughout the set, and it is obvious that Blade is continuously striving to produce a particular mood for each piece. Feeding the ebb and flow of tracks like the moving "Reconciliation" or "Patron Saint of Girls," Blade steers the group like a ship's captain with his dynamic swells. Making special appearances are pop legend Joni Mitchell, who lends dusky vocals to "Steadfast," and Daniel Lanois, usually better-known for his production skills, who contributes some creative guitar work.Down Beat (7/00, p.73) - 4.5 stars out of 5 - "...A minor masterpiece....the decade's 1st perfect headphones disc, of any genre....9 interrelated sonic sculptures that owe as much to folksy American as to heady post-bop..."