Shadowhead

Shadowhead

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Cinematic in scope and ambitiously sweeping in its breadth of styles and influences, Joe Gallant and Illuminati's Shadowhead stands out from the pack like a red balloon in a field of white poppies. Gallant, an electric bassist of virtuosic presence, has already filled two albums with radical interpretations of the Grateful Dead's Blues for Allah and Terrapin Station. Shadowhead, his first album of all-original compositions, proves that those previous successes were no fluke. Shadowhead is large-scale in several senses of the phrase, not least in its 10 ambitious compositions that range from danceable Afro-Caribbean grooves to psychedelic trip-hop interludes. It also boasts a huge ensemble that includes full string and horn sections, guitarists, vocalists, percussionists, and keyboardists, all of whom are utilized by Gallant as he creates eerie soundscapes out of tunes like the title track, which moves through Béla Bartók-sounding string passages and eerie drum loops, or the exhilarating big-band funk of "Scourge." As far-flung as the compositions are though, Gallant's commanding bass grooves act as the unifying thread on the album, impressively tying together tracks like the Afro-Cuban-tinged "Vivian" and the disco-inflected "Aurora" into a beautifully coherent whole. --Ezra Gale

Shadowhead,Joe Gallant & Illuminati,Accurate Records,Avant-Garde,Experimental Big Band,Jazz,Jazz Music,Jazz-Rock,Pop

Jazz Music: Shadowhead

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