![]() It would be a perfect fit for a dirty, '70s-style action noir. "New York" is all jazzy movement, evoking the city that never sleeps with angular riffs and horn swells, with support from special guest Brian Drye on trombone. It's a Western theme for infinite horizons, always pushing the melody in new directions without losing that serene pocket. It's a real journey, and that's only the first song. "Ephrata" kicks things off with a distinctly European flavor, opening with a light, sunny melody that evolves into a disorienting wall of psychedelia and washes out into a lovely reprise. While the beating heart of every track is Chorney's guitar, the harmony, dissonance and sheer space his coconspirators provide make for a truly singular sound. This unique approach paid huge dividends. Once assembled, the crew built its connections, along with the songs themselves, in front of live audiences over the course of a residency at Burlington's Radio Bean. Perhaps just as important to the album's cinematic soundscapes is the work of Ben Collette of Tank Recording Studio, who engineered these ambitious sessions and later mastered the album. Sunflower features an ensemble cast made up of some the area's headiest players: Jeremy Fredrick (drums), Taylor Haskins (EVI, trumpet), Zack Dupont (guitar), Pat Ormiston (bass), Matt LaRocca (viola) and Will Andrews (trumpet, samples, synthesizer). From leading the seminal 1990s Vermont fusion band viperHouse to the Tony Award he and Todd Sickafoose won for best orchestrations for Anaïs Mitchell's breakout Broadway musical, Hadestown, Chorney has been a constant presence in Green Mountain music, a prolific creator and collaborator. In the album's liner notes, Chorney states that he sought out "intuitive players," and few artists around these parts have a more extensive Rolodex. If I exaggerate, it's only by an inch or two. ![]() ![]() In practice, Freeway Clyde are a telepathic extension of Chorney's brain and body, as their debut LP, Sunflower, demonstrates. In theory, it's an improv band devoted to soundtracking imaginary films. Freeway Clyde is an odd but fitting name for Michael Chorney's latest ensemble, because this is a strange project indeed. ![]()
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