Scott Amendola - Fade To Orange - [Vinyl]

San Francisco Bay Area drummer, Scott Amendola's composition Fade to Orange, written for his wife originally premiered to critical acclaim at Oakland's Paramount Theater in 2011. After several years of planning, rewriting and reorchestrating, Amendola assembled a studio dream team of original collaborators: Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, powerhouse bassist Trevor Dunn and the great Magik*Magik Orchestra. This ambitious composition exhibits surging arrays of sonic expression with Cline riding the epic crescendos of the orchestra yet also retains the emotional intensity of the romantic gesture Amendola intended for his wife. The album also features four remixes where the protean nature of music truly comes into focus as the piece is reimagined by four very distinct personalities. REVIEW SCOTT AMENDOLA [With NELS CLINE/TREVOR DUNN/MAGIK MAGIK ORCHESTRA/THE FADE TO ORANGE WINDS] - Fade to Orange (Sazi Records 003; USA) Featuring Scott Amendola on drums, electronics & compositions, Nels Cline on guitar, Trevor Dunn on electric bass, William Winant on orchestral percussion plus the Magik Magik Orchestra and the Fade to Orange Winds (with Ben Goldberg & Steve Adams). I caught several nights of Scott Amendola's residency at The Stone last week (4/7-4/12/15) and was completely blown away by two sets on Saturday night with the Nels Cline Singers plus guests Jeff Parker & Cyro Baptista. All of the music (except for a Neil Young cover) was written by Mr. Amendola, showing what a fine, diverse composer he is. Each of Mr. Amendola's previous discs have been different and this one is also unlike any of the others. This disc is dedicated to Mr. Amendola's wife Ari, who remains an important inspiration to him. The music was written over several years, 2009-2011 and performed in April of 2011 in Oakland. It starts with a series of swirling strings and percussion before the bass and guitar enter. Soon the horns and strings come together in strong waves. When the waves calm down, the fine trio of Nels on guitar, Trevor on bass and Scott on drums take off at the center with their soaring jazz/rock finesse. Mr. Amendola's writing for strings is thoughtful and moving without being grandiose or overblown. The second section starts with somewhat funky groove with some spooky slide guitar from Nels, odd samples and what sounds like canned strings, but probably isn't. I dig the way Amendola uses electronics or a sampler to add a layer unexpected sonic spice when you least expect it and make things somewhat disorienting. Although Mr. Amendola is a great drummer, his playing here is never overdone, rarely taking any solos, just occasional short bursts of well-integrated activity. The second half of this disc has remixes from Yuka C. Honda, Mocean Worker and others and shows how an outside source can manipulate this music and twist it into other interesting shapes. The music here often sounds like a soundtrack to an old movie that seems familiar yet does have some surprising twists and turns when you least expect them. --Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG