Cure-All Records is pleased to release the debut recording of Flounder, an instrumental quartet combining the freewheeling groove and grit of mid-century blues and jazz with the intimacy and instrumental interplay of chamber music. This release marks a significant point for the group, a culmination of two years worth of composing and performing a wealth of original material, specifically written by composer and guitarist David Dvorin for the group’s unique instrumentation. Combining both retro and futuristic timbres, the release blends playful rhythmic feel along with bold exploration of harmony and texture.
In addition to the loping, sauntering gait of the title track from which the group gets it name (and which also alludes to John Lennon’s “I Am the Walrus”), the album snakes its way through ten tracks representing the myriad sides of Flounder’s music. Dvorin’s obsession with twisting and re-imagining classic blues and jazz forms is well on display, including the Dust Bowl-themed “Hard Luck Blues”, emotive “Persistence Blues”, hard-swinging shuffle of “Trick Knee", and the post-bop rhythmic surprises of “Sucker Punch”. Each composition mixes old-school aesthetics with contemporary compositional techniques, resulting in music that possesses a timeless quality that is unique to the group.
Several pieces reflect aspects of childhood viewed from the adult perspective. Based on the original story of Pinocchio, “Cut Strings”, comments on the process of “growing up” and the differentiation of children from their parents. Similar to it’s nursery-rhyme name-sake, “The Crooked Mile” offers plenty of rhythmic twists and turns with its zig-zagging groove.
Rounding out the set, the group playfully conjures foot-tapping and supple rhythms that sit well outside the chamber-music world. “El Cangrejo” (“The Crab”) echoes the movements of small crustaceans engaging in a scuttling latin Cha-Cha dance. Inspired by overhead views of a city’s bustling arteries, “People Moving, People Standing Still” uses rhythmic flow to reflect both the frenetic energy and frozen timelessness of masses of people moving about. The collection even includes an explosive nod to America’s mid-century space exploration (“Space Age”), complete with percolating, syncopated modular synthesizer and sampled sounds from early NASA launches.
credits
released September 10, 2021
David Dvorin • guitar, modular synthesizer
Randy McKean • bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
Tim Bulkley • drums
Clifford Childers • bass trumpet, trombone, harmonica, euphonium
and special guest
Jonah Dvorin • percussion on "El Cangrejo (The Crab)"
Recorded January 2020 at Ray Barker Studios, Chico, CA by Dann Sargent, assisted by Edson Cruz
Mixed and Produced by David Dvorin
Mastered at Headless Buddha Lab, Oakland, CA, by Myles Boisen
Flounder illustration by Tim Bulkley
Combining the freewheeling groove and grit of mid-century blues and jazz with the intimacy and instrumental interplay of
chamber music, Flounder performs original compositions and unique arrangements that emphasize rhythmic feel along with the adventurous exploration of harmony and texture....more
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