By John M. Crossett
Jason Vitelli — Head Above Tide
Jason Vitelli / Maquiladora Music Released: 2017 Music: 4 Sound: 4.5 Jason Vitelli can be something of a musical enigma. If you listen to his music you hear echoes of musical inspirations that vary from classical to jazz to the more adventurous music from the late 1970’s to early 1980’s to the Seattle music scene of the 1990’s. But what this scribe hears most of all are strong overtones of progressive rock - even though Jason says he’s not a big fan of that musical genre (though he does profess an interest on King Crimson and Robert Fripp, Peter Gabriel, and Brian Eno.) One thing he is not, however, is predictable. His music covers a wide area, which makes listening both challenging and enjoyable at the same time. Challenging due to that unpredictability. Enjoyable due to the fact that no two songs are the same, so each new tune is an invitation to a new musical adventure. His music is also not your daughters pop/rock. This is adult music, music that makes you sit and listen. This is not background music, it’s so well crafted that it demands you listen and pay attention. The reward, a music that reveals itself on multiple levels depending on how deeply you choose to listen. While Vitelli plays multiple instruments on this album, like rhythm/lead guitar, alto sax, bass guitar, programming, this is not a solo effort. He has enlisted other musicians to help him flesh out his musical vision. The result, a full sounding, musically interesting effort. And one that makes sonic integrity fully as important as the music itself. No, this is not an “audiophile” recording - the music is too adventurous and diverse for that label to be applied. But Vitelli has spent time working with recording engineer Barry Diament (who recorded, in high resolution audio Jason’s previous effort.) And Barry is not one who lets anything slide sonically. Actually, Barry Diament did the mixing and mastering of this CD. So you know that sonically you’re going to hear pretty much just what Jason wanted you to hear in as exact a manner as the Redbook standards can offer. If you like to hear musics that pushes your ears (and brain) to expand their boundaries, then Jason Vitelli’s music is exactly what you’re looking for. He challenges you to listen, to diagnose, to unravel his songs while at the same time making music that can simply be enjoyed by one who’s ears can hear outside the mainstream box. “Head Above Tide” lives up to its name in making an album that pokes it’s head above the typical music being recorded and released today. A music that makes you want to listen over and over as each listen revels aspects you missed the first time (or second, or third, etc) you listened. It’s artists like Jason Vitelli who keep the inventiveness in popular music - a quality sadly lacking from the major labels these days. Poke your head above the mainstream and reward your ears with music that both inspires and relaxes. You can follow John M. Crossett III at his Facebook page, Aural Musings.
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