Stephen Gauci - Substratum

CIMP 359

Saxophonist Stephen Gauci, bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Jay Rosen seem bent on burrowing beneath the surface on this recent CIMP release, sifting through somber musical strata to uncover raw, if often muted, emotional roots. The results encompass Gauci’s most somber and ruminative session to date. Most of the pieces are balladic in feel, though more like a box of dried black roses than one containing assorted truffles and bon bons. Gauci’s affinities for Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter evident in his dry trills and oblique harmonic sense are still present, but the chameleonic aspects of his style are held in check. Even the more heated passages from his horn contain underlying delicacy and vulnerability. There isn’t much mirth or humor to speak of in the conversations, but that doesn’t mean it’s an overly dolorous or depressing ride either.

Bisio and Rosen were Gauci’s colleagues on his first Cadence Jazz release and they’ve grown into quite a compatible ensemble as a trio. Bisio has mastered the demanding acoustics of the Spirit Room and the minute particulars of his intricately articulated lines are audible at all times. Rosen takes to the prevailing melancholy mood as well, staving his eruptive side in favor of a more textured approach on most of the tracks. Titles like “Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness” and “One That Got Away” point to the general downcast demeanor. The caps-dominant font on the tray card list of tracks further conveys an air of gravitas. One of the few rays of melodic sunlight comes with “Song of the Sundaram”, a freebop piece that skips along at a jaunty clip and finds Gauci playing something close to a conventional line with a level of levity absent earlier and after. An impediment inherent in all the brow furrowing is that the pieces begin to sound similar, particularly late in the program. This, despite Gauci’s care in designing pieces that bypass predictable theme-to-solos progressions and contain unexpected twists like Bisio’s clipped bass coda on the title piece.

Gauci has yet to involve himself in a slipshod session and this set sustains the record. As much as I might wish for more sparklers and bottle rockets and greater variety of mood, there’s no mistaking the thought and craftsmanship that went into this session's execution. The roses may be black, but their aroma is still sweet and memorable.

~ Derek Taylor