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Amanda Chaudhary — January Suborbital Denomination
(Bandcamp Catsynth ACHS 2718, 2024, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-08-11

January Suborbital Denomination Cover art

Keyboardist and composer Amanda Chaudhary has assembled these nine tracks that run the gamut from jazz rock to old-timey show tunes to plenty of other interesting things beyond that, things that probably don’t seem like they should work together but they certainly do, much like a lot of Frank Zappa’s early endeavors where rock, jazz, classical and doo-wop elements coexisted and flourished. Chaudhary, here with her Meow Meow band — a group of around sixteen guest players, including some of the finest from the west coast and around the country: Singer Sami Stevens features on four tracks, Steve Adams (baritone, alto and sopranino saxes), drummers G Calvin Weston and John Hanes, trumpeter Chris Grady, clarinetist Jason Bellenkes, bassists Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Brett Warren, teno saxophonist Joshua Marshall, steel pan virtuoso Jonathan Scales, Myles Boisen (electric sitar and banjo), guitarist Jerry King, trombonist Scott Larson, and more, plus on the final track “Mister Brushies”  tap dancer Evie Ladin (better known for her banjo playing). These are all top shelf players from all over and it’s amazing that Chaudhary was able to put them all together here. The opening cut “Live From the Desert Lounge” is a mere forty-five second introductory piece that leads into “Rambutan,” yes it’s a fruit from Southeast Asia, and what this jazzy tune lacks in lyrics it makes up for in its funky soul drive and great playing by the vast compliment of sax and horn players on hand, and of course Chaudhary’s electric piano. Stevens delivers another great vocal on “National Chocolate Oat Milk Day” along with Grady’s trumpet and an electric sitar solo from Boisen. “Ghanaplasticity” is the first of several instrumentals (okay, there’s a vocoder bit in there) that leads right into “Kislev,” another beautiful vocal number. Cowritten with Jerry King, “Taconic Parkway Bridge” is another outstanding instrumental piece with a unique trajectory. “Marlon Brando” was a succinct piece cowritten with Jason Berry on the last Vacuum Tree Head release Rhizomique, here it’s been expanded to a full six-plus minute instrumental that gets down and funky and gives all these players plenty of room to stretch out. All taken, January Suborbital Denomination is an amazing collection of tunes, and a lot of fun to boot.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Jerry King / Cloud over Jupiter, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Amanda Chaudhary, Grant Calvin Weston

More info
http://amandachaudhary.bandcamp.com/album/january-suborbital-denomination

 

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