"NYC Jazz Record", April 2017
ICONOCLAST, DRIVEN TO
DEFIANCE
CD review by
John Pietaro
Here’s
a duo born of Downtown when that geographic designation meant much more than
simply “below 23rd Street”. And well before the bistros and condos. This is
grassroots music, as pure as the old Palace Hotel. Driven to Defiance? Iconoclast was bred on it. Alto saxophonist/violinist
Julie Joslyn and drummer Leo Ciesa create explosive free music and soaring
melodies that mingle gorgeously on an unpredictable playlist. The duo is a
grand array of sound now celebrating their 30th anniversary. And there’s much
to celebrate. “Nothing Untold” is a 6/8
Ciesa statement played on toms with timpani mallets deftly variated with
subdivisions and bending tempo building toward a mournful alto melody. One
hears the Middle Eastern influence within a complete and incisive work. Like
many of the original Downtown artists, Iconoclast recognizes the strength in
relatively short statements as established by the punk and no wave bands they
shared many a stage with in the ‘80s-90s. Of note is “One Hundred Verticals”, a slow
boil into gripping fire music. Joslyn’s violin playing is reminiscent of
Ornette Coleman’s foray into that instrument, albeit with a modern classical
outline ever present. Searching, possibly archaic tunes make frequent
appearances as do other melismatic themes. At times while Joslyn is serenading,
Ciesa carefully drops in broken blues piano, tabla-like drumset parts or a mix
of classic New Thing and devastating industrial percussion. “You’re So Very
Touchable” is a warm love song with a sensuous alto resounding over delicate drumming,
but no Downtowner worth their salt would allow this emotion to ruminate;
“Spheres of Influence” barks at the ear with the impact of a time when avant
garde jazzers jammed with punk rockers in unheated squats. And Joslyn’s spoken
word is used to dramatic effect on “Part of the Hour”, a work of expressionist,
surreal poetry with a very strong Ciesa piano score that feels like ‘30s Hanns
Eisler.
For more information, visit fangrecords.com.
This project is at Michiko Studios Apr. 7th. See Calendar.
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