The Haas Company: Celestial Latitude

Mastermind drummer and composer Steve Haas is living the dream, gathering his favorite musicians and recording his music for the world to hear. I was blown away by Thirteen which featured legendary violinist Jerry Goodman, and was immediately sold when I saw Frank Gambale was the guest artist on Celestial Latitude. The music was written with his lifelong friend keyboardist Peter Drungle over the course of a few years.

This does not require a long review, this album holds up from start to finish, not a weak track to be found. From the opening “Meekat Rock� you get energy galore, and incredible songs if you can keep your ear tuned to that instead of the soloing, which is difficult for me. I promise you these songs are memorable, and create a solid foundation for the soloists. I love the intro for “Bug Fights Sear Jam� and the chaotic nature of this track, this one feels like they just went for it in the studio. A beautiful Rhodes solo captures the spark in the title track, and the Latin flavor coupled with Gambale’s flamenco guitar in “Ultra Flamingo� offers a nice change of pace. My favorites of course will always be the guitar features, and “Ariel� and “For Allan� don’t disappoint.

Unfortunately, by the time I heard Thirteen it was too late to make my best of 2024, but it easily would have, and Celestial Latitude is surely its equal. There are two other Haas Company releases that I need to hear, but for now, make sure to check out Celestial Latitude, I promise you it’s a winner.

Track List:
1. Meekat Rock
2. Celestial Latitude
3. Bug Fights Sear Jam
4. Ariel
5. Drawn and Quartered
6. For Allan
7. Ultra Flamingo
8. Memories of the Future
9. Liquid Crystal

Added: March 16th 2025
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 178
Language: english

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