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Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius — Imposter!
(7d Media no#, 2024, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2024-10-05

Imposter! Cover art

Musicians who are capable of prodigious technical performances are often accused of favoring flashy playing over emotional expression — this is a complaint I remember being prominent in the heyday of jazz fusion in the 70s, leveled at such artists as Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever among others. I expect the same thing happened in the early days of bebop, when Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and the rest upped the game in how many notes per beat you could play in jazz (and how fast the beat could go). I’ve also heard it said in the world of Classical music about piano and violin prodigies. Given that Mahavishnu Orchestra is one of my all-time favorite bands, it should be obvious that I don’t subscribe to the equating of flashy technique with lack of “real” expression. Joe Deninzon is a violinist of great technical facility, and to my ear he walks this tightrope mostly successfully. Imposter! is his latest release with his long-running group Stratospheerius, and his cohorts this time out are Jason Gianni (drums), Paul Ranieri (bass), Bill Hubauer (keyboards), and Michelangelo Quirinale (guitar), along with a host of guests including Randy McStine (guitar, background vocals), Neel Murgai (sitar), Michael Sadler (vocals), Rachel Flowers (piano, flute), and Fernando Perdomo (guitar); Deninzon himself plays electric violin and sings lead vocals. “Voodoo Vortex Part II” kicks things off with a bang, presenting a hyperspeed rhythm and fast violin arpeggios, rather like a high-energy Yes tune from the 70s infused with a dose of Mahavishnu. “Outrage Olympics” provides some respite with a lovely piano, but builds into a tasty mid-tempo tune with touches of sitar for extra flavor. The title track weds a fast rock beat full of tricky rhythms with a violin part that has hints of bluegrass in it. Later in the album, we get “Tripping the Merry-Go-Round,” a beautiful acoustic tune with cellos, and its only flaw is that it’s less than two minutes long. There’s even a cover of King Crimson’s iconic “Frame by Frame” with violin taking over some of the fast guitar motifs the song is built on, and an ending with more than a passing resemblance to “Baba O’Riley.” With Deninzon taking over for Robby Steinhardt in the new iteration of Kansas, I’m sure this release will achieve some notice, and I expect most Kansas fans will find a lot here to enjoy.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Joe Deninzon (Stratospheerius), Fernando Perdomo, Randy McStine, Rachel Flowers

 

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