Peter Kerlin Octet - Salamander [CD]

Salamander, the debut album by Brooklyn bassist/composer, Peter Kerlin takes the listener through five bass-driven compositions scored for two vibraphones, two basses, organ, drums, percussion and viola. The range of each piece's compositional core reaches from the through-composed 'Bulbs' and 'Snake Eats Electric Blanket' to the open cosmic jazz expression of 'Ballad of the Bewildered Herd.' Along the way, post-rock staples like Stereolab and Tortoise and Krautrock luminaries Can, Faust and Neu! Serve as jumping off points, as well as Terry Riley, Sonny Sharrock and Eric Dolphy. It's a soaring, melodic flow of ecstatic energy that sweeps the listener along a sustained ride. Salamander is Kerlin's first foray into a more ambitious compositional work, employing detailed notation as well as guided improvisational passages.