So Many Dreams (So Little Time), the new album from DW Project (the brainchild of composer/drummer Dan Walzer), is set for release on Sunday. Walzer and Co. celebrate the release at 7 p.m. with a performance at Chez Nora in Covington featuring several of the artists from the new disc.
Dreams is the Project’s third release and also the latest from Walzer’s own Essence of Now label. Walzer — playing percussion, vibes and keyboards on the disc — once again proves himself an able bandleader, gathering solid musicians from the area, including pianist Erwin Stuckey, bassists Kerry Jordan, Matt Parmenter and Steve Whipple and guitarist Ric Hordinski, who also lends his engineering and writing skills on the trance-y “Samba De Verdad.” The music on Dreams is best called Jazz, but Walzer approaches music with a more fusionary eye, drawing from whatever diverse elements necessary to best serve his instrumental soundscapes. Wildly varied, Walzer and his accomplices gracefully move from straightfoward traditional Jazz numbers like their cover of “Mo’ Better Blues” and the original “Stained Glass” to airy, ambient fare like the pensive piano musing “Thank You Interlude: (Let’s Dream)” and more funky Contemporary Jazz fare like “Grace.” But things get really interesting on the more esoteric Fusion tracks like “Sorry,” “Foam Tunnel,” “I See Purple” and “Working on Wednesdays,” which features some high-wire electric guitar fuzz that burns like Robert Fripp’s fretwork. DW Project is most interesting when delving into loops and samples and opening up the playing field a little wider. But, as it stands, So Many Dreams is like a cool, dynamic mix tape that serves well as background music but, once you pay attention a little closer, reveals itself to be much more. (essenceofnow.com)
More Local Notes
· This weekend at the Blue Wisp, local Jazz drummer Art Gore is the ringleader of a two-night tribute to two of the Jazz world’s all-time best drummers.
Elvin Jones (who played behind legends like John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Charles Mingus) and Tony Williams (who worked with Davis on some of his biggest releases, among many other memorable appearances) both passed away in 2004 and Gore has assembled an all-star cast to celebrate their legacies. On Friday, the group features Brent Gallaher (sax), Jim Connerley (piano) and Jim Anderson (bass), with Melvin Broach guesting on drums with Gore. Saturday, Gore, Gallaher, Connerley and Anderson return, joined by Pat Harbison (trumpet) and guest drummers Bobby Scott and Anthony Lee. Safe to say this is a must-attend for serious Jazz-drumming fans. Tickets for each night are $10; music begins at 9:30 p.m. both nights. (bluewispjazzclub.com)
· Local Metal/Punk label Peace or Die Records, which has signed an international distribution deal with Neo Blast/Enforcer Records, is hosting a label showcase this Friday at Sudsy Malone’s. The show features Croatan (whose The Drunken Masters disc was the first PoD release to benefit from the new distribution deal) and Pain Link (who have an upcoming full-length disc due early next year), as well as Katana and Soul Casket, who both have new discs slated for 2005. Another PoD showcase goes down Dec. 17 at Sudsy’s, with C.D.P., The Hypochondriacs and Blooddrive slated to appear. (peaceordierecords.com)
· Jazz singer Pam Ross is teaming up with Ed Moss’ Society Jazz Orchestra for a special show Monday at the Blue Wisp. Ross and Moss will be celebrating their new CD, Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me, which features performances from locals Mike Sharfe (bass) and Jim Leslie (drums), as well as what is believed to be the last session by the late Gordon Brisker, who contributed sax, flute and clarinet work to the project. The disc will be available at Monday’s show and can also be found on cdbaby.com.
· It’s a night of Rock ‘n Groove Friday at Annie’s as local acts The Ohms, Black & Tan Carpet Band, Mister Creeper and patientZero perform for a special cause. All of the door money from the concert goes to help pay the medical bills accrued by a friend of the bands who recently lost a daughter. The show kicks off at 7:30 p.m. with DJ Ruckus; live music begins at 10 p.m. (batcb.com)
· A new local indie label, Infa-Red Inc., has organized a benefit concert for the FreeStore/FoodBank featuring an eclectic lineup of local Rock, R&B and Hip Hop acts. Slated to appear at the “A Hand For the Homeless” show on Sunday at the 20th Century are Death in Graceland, Nonica, Rootbound, Big Cuz, Remedy, EJ and many others. Showtime is 6:30 p.m.
This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2004.