| Jazz |
7, the number of luck, a luck that we wish upon this beautiful album to conquer the world. Bryan Lynch, remarkable composer and trumpeter, created ’7x7by7’ during the pandemic. The music of this new album *7x7by7* (7 times 7 by 7) by multi-GRAMMY Award winner Brian Lynch, which will be released on October 25, 2024, through his own label Hollistic MusicWorks, can rightfully be called a septology: seven pieces played by seven musicians, each track having exactly the same duration: seven minutes of music. Brian conceived the project in an original and distinctive modular format, allowing for the exchange of ensemble sections and individual parts between the seven compositions. Additionally, the recording process was designed to facilitate the smooth reassembly of the elements of the pieces into new ones. Shaped by these characteristics and their constraints, the music of *7x7by7* has the potential for infinite variations through selection, juxtaposition, and even chance.
However, we cannot describe this album as obsessive; no, here we are dealing with a painter of notes, a 19th-century architect who might have met Gustave Eiffel under the amused gaze of René Magritte, offering a strange drink to a Salvador Dalí seated on one of his melting clocks… The only obsession remains the timing of the tracks, which start from zero and reach seven minutes and six seconds… I confess that this aspect is almost miraculous, or perhaps Bryan Lynch is an alchemist who doesn’t know it… Brian gathered a group of versatile and exceptional musicians for this album, capable of mastering the unique demands of this recording while delivering virtuosic performances. Tenor saxophonist Craig Handy, pianist Luis Perdomo, and bassist Boris Kozlov have all been essential elements of Brian’s recordings and live performances for over twenty years. Alex Wintz plays a unique role, fulfilling the various functions of both soloist and rhythm section member, marking the first appearance of a guitarist on a Brian Lynch album since *At The Main Event* in 1993. Drummer Kyle Swan and percussionist Murph Aucamp have both been important elements of Brian’s recent recordings, including the 2019 GRAMMY Award-winning album *The Omni-American Book Club*.
Beyond all these considerations, the composer takes us into a world that blends a sort of jazz fusion, sometimes with a bebop flavor, and Latino influences, enough to lose your head, and just at the right moment, you’ll be lifted by an instrumental solo that will take you even further… Brian’s interest in the number seven dates back to his childhood. ‘I remember that at the very beginning of my music learning, the fact that there were the same number of notes in the scale (in the major and minor diatonic system, though I only learned this later) as there were days in the week intrigued me. There was also a book my father had on the mystical meaning of numbers, which sparked my interest at the time. The number seven is something I’ve thought about a lot over the years, both in my music and in the organization of my time and thinking.’
All this is important to know in order to fully understand the artist’s approach, who goes on to explain: ‘I am extremely excited about the revolutionary potential of this concept, as well as the music itself! Despite its avant-garde, even visionary nature, the music of this album is far from esoteric,’ Lynch explains. ‘Its melodic contours, harmonic movements, and rhythmic grooves are new developments of what listeners familiar with my work might expect. If you’re discovering my music, I think this album will be a good introduction.’
The most amusing thing is probably that the 7-track format gives the impression of an EP at first glance, but in the end, it’s almost fifty minutes of a journey deep into the work of Bryan Lynch, a work that absorbs us as much as it amuses or surprises us—enough to propel this album, which might be the seventieth release of the year, to the top of our pile of irresistible ‘Essential’ albums.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, September 27th 2024
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