Mary Flower & Leon Cotter – Chants of Rain
This interesting album opens with the kind of melody the late Leon Redbone would gladly play. It’s an instrumental “Mary’s Rag,” with the acoustic guitar fingerpicking clarity of Portland’s Mary Flower against the warm notes of Leon Cotter’s clarinet. Benny Goodman & Artie Shaw would be proud.
There are 11 accessible elements to their debut Chants of Rain (Drops July 24/Little Village/40:16) & while the music is embodied by only two musicians, the sound is fat, full & coherent. It’s also well-recorded & self-produced by the duo. Each piece has its own attraction but instead of fireworks they provide subtle melodicism, pensive performances & impeccable playing that’s nothing short of ear candy.
Each melody could be applied to a motion picture scenario, an interlude in a longer piece or theme to a program. The gentle passages have weight between the instruments, & Leon also adds some sax in spots. The tunes are not all refined & low brow; some have consistent melodic excitement in their arrangements. “Half Moon” is quite jaunty. Some tunes ache for lyrics because they’re so well shaped for such an addition, for such storytelling. Musicality here has perspective & leaves pleasant, inedible impressions. If one were to close their eyes to listen, each melody would shape a unique set of images, themes, & presences in the mind.
Some are more European-oriented like “Chain” with its near-Bert Kaemphert style of arrangement (“Afrikaan Beat,” “That Happy Feeling”), though he is more orchestra inclined. There’s also a little Paul Mauriat (“Love Is Blue”) in the gentle savviness of the performances.
This music has a calming effect, but what makes it special is its lack of overall sweetness. It’s not elevator music; it’s not homogenized & pasteurized to perfection. It may be because of the stripped-down approach, no over-achieving instruments or players with just two musicians with expertise. Some music can be processed & some aged. This material is aged. Not to suggest that it’s vintage, just organic. True to the landscape of sound these fine instruments can produce in the hands & with the breath of two superb players.
Nothing is over produced; like cooking & not producing smoke. There is energy in many of these numbers, no lack of lift. All the pieces are individual originals despite some generated from the genres of yesteryear – rootsy, ragtime/blues, jazz elements, folk tidings & the types of traditional instrumentals made famous by the late John Fahey (“Poor Boy Long Way From Home”). The final two cuts, “Strawberry Lane” & “Wisecrack” are quite appetizing.
Highlights – “Mary’s Rag,” “Dauphine,” “Half Moon,” “Chain,” “Farewell Waltz,” “Strawberry Lane,” & “Wisecrack.”
CD image courtesy of Absolute Images. CD @ Amazon & https://maryflower.com/