For a second I thought I was the accidental recipient of a CD intended for Bassoon Player magazine. Bassoon-driven rock-fusion? Really? Well, yes. Imagine if Michael Brecker was a bassoonist and made a fusion record; Paul Hanson’s solo and melody breaks swing, soar, groove and groan like an authentic jazz horn, seemingly ever-expanding in what’s possible. The tunes aren’t just airy platforms for blowing, either—they groove with a heavy backbeat and reward repeated listenings. All the while, Victor Little’s dark, woody tone occupies just the right amount of tonal, harmonic and rhythmic space, and he steps out with a laid-back, nothing-to-prove confidence in “Parallax” and “Sacred Love.” The fusion barn-burner “Emerald Mile” is alone worth the price of admission, as Little cranks up the groove velocity while Hanson somehow makes his bassoon outro solo sound like Jeff Beck, all without any air of parlor-trickery. On “Subtle Demons,” he more than holds his own on a chops-fest with drummer Dennis Chambers. I am not kidding or making this up. It just rocks, and it’s pretty damn amazing.
Bryan Beller