John Swana Quintet - Tug of War - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Trumpet/flugelhorn player's quintet w. Billy Pierce, Benny Green, Peter Washington, Kenny Washington, recorded December 28, 1990.

William Basinski's reputation as the foremost producer of profound meditations on death and decay has long been established, but on his new album, Lamentations, he transforms operatic tragedy into abyssal beauty. More than any other work since The Disintegration Loops, there is an ominous grief throughout the album, and that sense of loss lingers like an emotional vapor.Captured and constructed from tape loops and studies from Basinski's archives - dating back to 1979 - Lamentations is over forty years of mournful sighs meticulously crafted into songs. They are shaped by the inevitable passage of time and the indisputable collapsing of space - and their collective resonance is infinite and eternal.

Thirteen years and seven recordings after beginning his association with Criss Cross, John Swana presents his first album as the sole front-line horn. Spurred by an ace rhythm section comprising Dutch guitar great Jesse Van Ruller, bass megastar John Patitucci, and young drum lion Eric Harland, the Philadelphia based trumpeter rises to the occasion sensationally, navigating eight original compositions with the melodic flair and technical prowess that have stamped him as a long-time Criss Cross favorite.