by Allan Browne Trio
Melbourne jazz scene fixture Allan Browne delivers something of a strange concept album here, which very successfully manages to bridge the gap between two very different composers. American jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams and German composer Karl Stockhausen both wrote cycles dedicated to the signs of the Zodiac. On Lost in the Stars, Allan's trio alternate each composer’s view of six of the signs (Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Scorpio and Aries). Presumably the remaining six will be covered in a second volume
Stylistically the album runs the gamut from minimalistic repetitive figures to bass heavy swung grooves, held down by Sam Pankhurst’s rock-solid bass. Marc Hannaford’s piano stylings groove more than usual here, yet his intellectual side is used to great lyrical effect.
As a whole, Lost in the Stars is like a series of mood pieces, and the trio works wonders merging the motifs of two different composers seamlessly, with many captivating and intense moments. Although quite restrained dynamically, never exploding into a noisy, free-jazz freakout, this is definitely not your garden variety Sunday morning wallpaper jazz album.
Further listening: Check out Brian Brown’s The Planets recording (Larrikin Records 1985), as well as the Respect Sextet’s album Sirius Respect (2009), which alternated between Sun Ra and Stockhausen compositions.
by Adam Rudegeair - Black Wax
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