Michael Kalisky Schutz – WhoamI
Guitarist Michael Kalisky Schutz projects from the realm of jazz fusion & peppers his music with classical, rock & electronic. Never heavy-handed. The CD was recorded in Tel Aviv & features vocals on 2 tracks.
“WhoamI” has 2 versions. A modern, groove-oriented one with horns & orchestration with solos & a 2nd more quartet with guitar & essentially with a ‘70s electric jazz density. There’s plenty of precision & intricacy but Schutz uses it liberally with spirited distortion & inventive improvisation.
It’s painted with a broad brush to gain as many musical textures as possible without approaching pomposity, lingering in the netherworld of progressive rock or fusion jazz & being bombastic. There are 8 pieces to WhoamI (Drops July 12/Independent) that display virtuosity & skill. Mr. Schutz is a young jazz musician loaded with ideas that are invigorating & essentially striking.
Like fingerprints, a musician leaves a mark on their style no matter how many influences added flavor to their work during their formative years. That influence may not always be other musicians or music, but heritage, geographical location & culture.
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band classic “East/West” is a blues, but, if listened to carefully used elements of modal jazz in the lead guitar duel. It begins to sound like Indian raga music & then this modal influence rather than chord changes & the tonal shadings even came from the drummer.
The opener is the title track. Noirish in tradition with heavy bass that anchors the bright brass that’s colorful but deviant as a Henry Mancini score for a dark film like “Experiment In Terror.”
There’s lots of 1950’s NY’s 52nd Street jazz feel in this. The brass falls away, the beat’s delightfully steady & a rousing piano solo adds glossiness. It’s atmospheric & mood setting. You’ll need a tall high ball or a Gibsons to appreciate these.
“Bluez,” has a concentrated Beat Generation jive implication with delicious trombone. It reminds me of Valve trombone soloists. As this piece progresses it goes from jazz to a fusion-progressive rock-type guitar escapade. The sound can be Howard Roberts-like. The drum finale is marvelous. A Billy Cobham-type mastery by Tom Maor is excellent. “Fly” suspends me in a Chick Corea’s Return To Forever memory. It has excitement in every note.
Certain flourishes remind me of an obscure jazz pianist Scott Bradford (“Rock Slides”) who had a dark side with his many incisive melodies on his lone ‘70s Impulse LP. The Yael Elany vocals are whispery on both “Winter Song” & “Rejected” yet, absolutely jazz-perfect. Here Michael straddles the dynamic Robert Fripp & Al DiMeola guitar tangent. Interesting stuff.
Highlights – “WhoamI,” “Bluez,” “Remember,” “Fly,” “Winter Song” & “Rejected.”
Musicians – Tom Maor (drums), Yaniv Bar (bass), Yuval Dagan (tenor sax), Ilay Shachal (alto sax), Maayan Gladstone (trumpet), Yonatan Voltzok (trombone), Ronen Shmueli (piano) & Michael Kalisky Schutz (guitar/bgv).
Color image courtesy of Mike’s Instagram. LP cover photo courtesy of Rupert Truman. CD @ Bandcamp & https://www.kalisky.net/
