Eye Contact – “Embracing the Tide ” – [Utech]

Eye Contact proved to be quite an eye-opener and ear-charmer.
Matt Lavelle is the catalyst here on bass clarinet (with
riveting digeridoo undertones on the first track) as well as
flugelhorn and trumpet (“Wiz Church” features a tight muted
solo over some skippery high bowing by bassist Matt Heyner.)
Though its title features a watery, this CD conjured images of
mountain climbing to me, that rush of how’d they get so high.
Simply put this is a STAGGERING release. Gotta hear more from
Lavelle who evidently escaped us for a decade or so in NYC.
The first track gets a ground-clearing by Heyner and drummer
Ryan Sawyer, then Lavelle just scorches (is that a) bcl? It
sounds like a hornet in a shenai for minutes before dropping
down into the familiar bubbly register. At 13 1/2 minutes in,
though getting stronger all the time, the piece takes a quiet
chimed tone with slow poetic playing, then a long enjoyable
climb back to thrilling heights. Next track is a horserace
neck-and-neck Lavelle galloping trumpet against Sawyer, at
the end the darkhorse bcl emerges to win. He brings flavors
of Addis Abada at the end of “Wiz Church.” And then all holy hell breaks out for “Father” – pure passion!