NakedEye Ensemble – “Storylines Crossing” (Starkland, 2018)

“Storylines Crossing” is the newest release of “Starkland Records”. Album was recorded by new contemporary music ensemble “NakedEye Ensemble”. This ensemble is formed by eight great musicians and led by pianist Ju-Ping Song. “NakedEye Ensmeble” has a huge variety of different composers, styles and compositions – jazz, rock, contemporary academical music, minimalism, experimental music, blues, academic avant-garde, electronic and electro-acoustic music contain the main base of their repertoire. Ensemble brilliantly and inventively performs the compositions by different composers – they had already made the interpretations of Louis Andriessen, Luciano Berio, Martin Bresnick, John Cage, George Crumb, Donnacha Dennehy, Nick Didkovsky, Moritz Eggert, Florent Ghys, Phil Kline, Helmut Lachenmann, David Lang, John Mackey, Missy Mazzoli, Arvo Pärt, Caroline Shaw, Julia Wolfe, and Frank Zappa pieces. The music of this ensemble has remarkable, evocative and interesting sound – it’s based on rich and evocative musical language, fresh and sparkling sound, dynamic and sudden stylistic changes and many other elements.

“Storylines Crossing” is a set of 6 compositions, which were written by 6 different composers or arranged by ensemble musicians. It’s the compositions of Rusty Banks, Richard Belcastro, Zack Browning, Jonathan Russell, Frederic Rzewski and Randall Woolf. Each composer has its own and original composing style and manner. The most part of the compositions is based on polyphonic musical pattern and are dedicated for electro-acoustic music ensemble. Composers tries out new ways of playing – that makes an effort to extraction of strange sounds and weird timbres. Jonathan Russel “Sextet” has vivacious and passionate mood. Expressive playing manner, simple structure of melodies, dynamic rhythms, free form are the main elements of this composition. Composer constructs the musical pattern by using various melodic and rhythmic intonations and repeating them one after each other. Light, vivid, bright and expressive melodies gently fit together with colorful harmony, brilliant and innovative instrumentation, special effects, specific ways of playing and musical experiments. This compositions has delightful, remarkable and expressive sound, is based on synthesis between contemporary academical music, academic avant-garde and experimental music. Zack Browning “Decade of The Dragon” highly differs from the first one. It’s formed by the synthesis between jazz and rock music styles. The music is based on bright and loud guitar riffs, quadratic form, has enough space for free improvisation and musical experiments. Composer masterfully blends all these elements together in one place. The most effective elements of this composition are the melodies – it’s filled with dynamic turns, vivid and light changes, expressive and virtuosic solos, passages, hard core beats and other similar rock music elements. This composition also has some relations with experimental music, academic avant-garde and avant-garde jazz, but it has a strong influenze of various rock styles. It has passionate, loud, vibrant and energetic sound. Richard Belcastro “Smoke n’Wid” also has many relations of rock styles, but the composer pays more attention to sound experiments, free improvisation and snthesizing various jazz styles all together. The music is based on subtle and silent guitar solos, energetic, bright, vivid and moody reeds solos, dynamic and constantly changing rhythmic, sharp harmony and free form. Rusty Banks “Surface Tensions” are different from the other compositions – it’s formed by synthesis between experimental, electro-acoustic, academic avant-garde and contemporary academical music styles. The composer is dedicated to create bright, fresh and evocative sound. His compositions has two independent sections – very solid, loud and dynamic melodic and strong rhythmic base. The music is filled with various moods, characters, eclectic combinations and special effects, which are masterfully blended in one place. That finally makes an effort to remarkable, interesting and evocative sound. Randal Woolf “Punching The Clock” has interesting sound, modern orchestration and rich musical pattern. The musical language is especially modern, wide and rich – it’s filled with special effects of electronics, passionate, vivid and expressive acoustic instruments solos, energetic passages, rapid roulades, effective glissando, arpeggio, pizzicato and other similar playing techniques bring original and effective sound to this album. Composer masterfully fuses together acoustic instruments and voice – it’s solos reveals the abilities of human voice, create a evocative, remarkable and brilliant sound of this composition. Basic elements of avant-garde jazz, modern and traditional jazz styles, blues, Afroamerican music, West Africa music, contemporary academical music, experimental music, free improvisation… – that’s just a little part of the things, whose contain the basics of this suggestive, effective and modern composition. Frederik Rzewski “Coming Together” is totally based on rock styles and free improvisation. The music has solid, effective and passionate musical pattern – composer mixes together the main elemenets of rock styles, free improvisation and mild intonations of experimental music.Vocal elements highly effect whole musical pattern – it makes the sound more eclectic and interesting. Hard core pf guitar, dynamic and energetic melodies, breaking rhythms, bright and passionate solos, musical experiments, spontaneous solos and other similar elements of musical language. The music of this album has modern, innovative and charming sound – it’s a brilliant set of jazz, rock, blues and contemporary academic music styles and genres. Musicians create remarkable, sparkling and interesting sound.