Crommie, Daniel and Leslie Gray: As The Raven Flies

I am not going to go into the long history of the one and only Daniel Crommie. His dozens of albums from his multitude of projects speak volumes. This 2023 release titled As The Raven Flies, the follow up to Two Of A Kind, features violinist Leslie Gray. The two have a long history, beginning with the formation of Saturnalia Trio in 1995. Gray provides viola, violin, and cello, while Crommie plays a wide array of instruments including - concert flute, BOSS VE-20, bamboo flute, alto recorder, garklein floten, keyboards, synthesizers, sequences, loops, electric dulcimer, Mellotron, stylophone, drums, and percussion.

On this album there is more of an eclectic, world feel, than the last few Crommie releases, but still the melodies are well within reach amidst all the quirkiness. “Dragonfly Eyes� is a folky piece and includes some nice violin and flute work. The kind of tune you just want to chill to on a lazy summer afternoon. Gently plucked notes and flute reveals an organic quality in “Agates on a Black Sand Beach� and adding to the rich sound is Gray’s multi-tracked violin. Hints of the Middle East come through in the somewhat dreamy “Byzantium Danse� with its waves of electronics and world-like percussion and with “Swirling Kandinsky� the eclectic nature of this music comes to the fore, but like Crommie’s music in general, the odd instrument choices usually seem to work. More exotic flirtations with Eastern sounds can be heard on “Gemshorn Revisited/Above the Weather�. Crommie’s electric dulcimer adds an oriental component, further expanding his world music palette.

So, there you have it. Another adventure into Crommie’s unique musical world, blending the organic with more modern synthesized sounds creating a fine album in the process.

A New Weave Records’ release.

Track Listing:
1. Dragonfly Eyes (3:30)
2. Agates on a Black Sand Beach (4:52)
3. Byzantium Danse (3:46)
4. Swirling Kandinski (4:16)
5. Gemshorn Revisited/Above the Weather (6:00)
6. Origami Confetti (3:49)
7. Last Stone Unturned (3:31)
8. As the Raven Flies (4:29)
9. Dark Understory (3:25)
10. Milky Blue (4:20)
11. Echelon (4:52)

Added: July 18th 2024
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist @ Bandcamp
Hits: 695
Language: english

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