this far by Nathan Blehar & Tony Falco

https://tonyfalco.bandcamp.com/album/this-far

Genre: Free Jazz

Rating: 4/5

released on bandcamp February 4, 2022

Falco’s drumming is brilliant and there’s not much more to say about that. If this were solo percussion it would be a very good record. And to be fair if it were just Nathan Blehar’s solo tenor it would still be very good. If you’re thinking I’m leading into the premise that they don’t mesh well that’s not it either. They fit together very well and give the listener plenty to think about and space for contemplation.

Usually on a 4/5 review I only talk about the positives but I have to say I think certain moments from Blehar are great and others just very good.

OK it’s like this: the end of the first track, where did you go, all of the second track, steady on your feet, and all of the fourth track, this far… all of that is brilliant. It’s all what I associate with spiritual jazz, and modal jazz, and has a very melancholy sad reflective feel to it. And all of that is five stars as good as it gets. And the other stuff is also very good just not as good. It needs to be more something. Perhaps more ambiguous or more abstract or angrier or ethereal. Instead it’s slightly more upbeat, and it’s still really good, but it doesn’t pull me in like the melancholy stuff.

I hope this doesn’t upset anybody.