American Anxiety EP
By
Zishi Liu
Written by
Steve Sheppard
This latest ep brings a whole new dimension of music to me on
this sunny morning; the cadence of my day is further enhanced by the inventive
manifestations within this realm of Progressive Jazz entitled American Anxiety by Zishi Liu, I must admit the title can
also be said to be relevant right now with regard to that country and the
confusing turmoil that surrounds it.
However the acclaimed jazz saxophonist and composer Zishi Liu looks at his narrative from a
perspective of an arrival into the boundless realms of this massive continent,
and all the complexities that swirl around one like the never ending tornado it
truly is, and the opening track portrays that perfectly, its insightful yet
slow moving overtones and rapid changes, alter grow and expand into one of the
most impressive and artistic opening tracks within the genre on the opening
piece Breathe.
American Anxiety reminded me of my first time
travelling to New York City, it’s a
location where everything is, everything was, and will be, constantly, 24 hours
a day 365 days a year, the driving saxophone from Liu is enhanced further by
this large band his has assembled, but in my view the guitar of Eric Hofbauer was simply outstanding,
whilst in the engine room the percussive talents of Francisco Mela brought a level of Jazz symbiosis to the party like
non before, proving to us all that this is exactly how to make a title track
stand out for all to see and enjoy.
The mournful refrains of our penultimate piece are gifted to
us next on the composition entitled The
Death of Yue Fei. This slightly
short form manifestation builds on a two dimensional mood and has both a level
of anticipation weaved into a clever juxtaposition with its somewhat reflective
and emotive nuances.
The final part of this artistic endeavour comes in the guise
of the track Lotus, a meditative
testament to the past perhaps; it’s gentle and enticing Zen-like opening leads
us perfectly into a land of plenty, and is a fine example of East meets West
with utter ease, if ever the term global fusion could be used in the world of
Jazz, this track could be held up as a prime example of it.
The single performances from each member here were incredibly
inventive and fluent to boot, whilst the overflowing narrative from the master
musician would draw a musical painting that would progress, pick up tempo and
bring us one of the most addictive compositions that I have heard in this style
for simply ages.