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Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
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Reviews

Jim Matus / Richie Barshay — Rise from the Top
(Bandcamp Right Brain, 2023, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2023-08-11

Rise from the Top Cover art

We’ve been reviewing the work of Jim Matus in all his various projects (Paranoise, Mawwal, Impulse Ensemble, solo, and in collaboration with others) almost as long as Exposé has been around. When we last touched base he had just released High We Shine the Sky by the Matus Salins Marching Band in 2021, a duo with singer and multi-instrumentalist Laila Salins, and as you probably guessed, not a marching band at all! Part of the intrigue of hearing new music from Matus is being introduced to his collaborators, and this time it’s Richie Barshay, an outstanding drummer and percussionist based in New York City, who has toured and recorded with many artists such as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spalding, Bobby McFerrin, and many others; his 2014 album Sanctuary is a real treat for the ears. Here, Barshay plays tablas, hand drums, cymbals, bells, and other assorted percussives, while Matus plays laoutar, a custom designed hybrid of a Greek laouto (an eight string lute with movable frets) and a mandocello, and as far as I’m aware, Matus is one of the only musicians around who plays it, but as such he has made it his life’s work. The eight tracks on Rise from the Top are introspective, acoustic-oriented pieces that seem to come together improvisationally in a natural way, seemingly without effort, but are products of pure invention, sometimes based on a percussive cadence, other times (like “Overtly Other”) relatively free and existential, but always interesting. It’s hard to pigeonhole the music here, which most often occupies a purely instrumental space somewhere between world music, jazz, and folk, always inventive and innately curious, following the moods and feelings of the players as they evolve. While the laoutar has a far more compelling sound than a standard acoustic guitar, the astute listener may at times be reminded of Steve Tibbetts’ mid-80s work, specifically circa Safe Journey. Mesmerizing and mystical, Rise from the Top is one you absolutely won’t want to miss.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): Jim Matus, Richie Barshay

More info
http://jimmatus1.bandcamp.com/album/rise-from-the-top

 

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