Frank Gratkowski | Sebastian Gramss | Tatsuya Nakatani | oirTrio | Kanata | Not Two Records

The OIRTRIO started furiously. Tatsuya Nakatami diligently moved along with the band steeping into scratching, beating and violonizing his instruments…where Gratkowksi is brash and experimental at every turn, the bassist, Gramss, is almost chameleon-like in his ability to mimic and build upon the lines Gratkowski is playing. He’s the ultimate support player here, as integral to the sound as any of the others, but sometimes almost disappearing until you listen carefully and realize that the horn line is being doubled, or tripled, by the bowing of the bass… Compelling, experimental, but also quite beautiful and even… poetic — MIB Bremen Continue reading

Kevin Frenette

Featuring Kevin Frenette on guitar Andy McWain on piano, Todd Keating on bass and Tatsuya Nakatani on drums. I am previously familiar with just 2 members of this quartet. Boston pianist, Andy McWain, has had a couple of strong discs on this same label, a quartet date with Assif Tsahar and a trio with Albey Balgochian & Lawrence Cook that I reviewed. Former Boston-based percussion wiz, Tatsuya Nakatani, remains one of the best and most distinctive of all improvising drummers and moved to Pennsylvania a couple of years back. Although Kevin has nice round jazz guitar tone, his playing is quite free and focused. Both he and pianist, Andy McWain, have a special relationship as they swirl layers of notes around one another with a magical connection. The other magic is the way the acoustic bass and drums also swirl freely at an astonishing pace that is sparse and well-connected simultaneously. It is as is there are two incredible duos playing at the same time yet they are subliminally always connected. — Bruce Lee Gallanter Continue reading