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Kevin Kastning / Phil Grenadier — In Visible Ascent
(Greydisc GDR3589, 2024, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-10-01

In Visible Ascent Cover art

For this first collaboration between Kevin Kastning and Phil Grenadier, the duo moves in a dreamy and meditative direction, Kastning playing exclusively his 36 string double contraguitar, and Grenadier on trumpet, a combination that is suited perfectly for this kind of outcome; sparsely played chords on the guitar (and often bass patterns) create a majestic backdrop for Grenadier’s ever-soloing trumpet, a gentle abduction that creates at once a feeling of shimmering beauty and an exquisite solitude of sorts. One has to believe that the two lengthy tracks at hand are completely improvised on the spot, eliciting that emotion of loneliness like wandering through a warm forest in a half-dream state. Both players leave plenty of room for the other to spin their magical spell; sometimes one will go completely quiet while the other makes a statement, like a call and response between the two players, especially on the 31-minute epic “A Location Marked by Stars” with its many sections and frequent diversions. Grenadier’s trumpet is soft but bold, always commanding the listener’s attention, while Kastning’s guitars weave in and out of view, sometimes going high, sometimes low into bassy regions while the trumpet carries on in the foreground. As I listen to this I often get that same feeling I had the first time I heard John Abercrombie’s Characters, but with the trumpet providing a formidable lead voice, guiding the listener along as the piece proceeds. The considerably shorter “The Wind Said Especially Now” (still a whopping fifteen-plus minutes) has many of the hallmarks of the lead track, perhaps with a bit more edge and studio effects. All taken, In Visible Ascent is like no Kastning related project before it, and the notes say that more collaborative album projects between the duo are underway.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Kevin Kastning

More info
http://kevinkastning.bandcamp.com/album/in-visible-ascent

 

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