Sound Colour Vibration (Music | Art | Film)

When you think of high octane, intensely dynamic and virtuosic creativity in the realm of music, the rich legacy of the 60′s and 70′s is such an easy corridor of sound to think about right away. In the aftermath of this energy that was strapped around the world in massive flux over the course of the 70′s with groups like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, Return to Forever, Oregon and many others, groups are starting to bridge these worlds of technique and creativity again. Music has been coming back full circle and entering the cyclone and whirlwind of creation. One human being we have seen shade this world with a color palette more extensive than most has been multi-instrumentalist Adrian Terrezas Gonzales. As a seasoned and well versed musician with academic degrees, a very long stint and grammy award with progressive latin punk band The Mars Volta and now a branching and network of musicians under his Jazztec and El Regimen ensembles, Adrian is constantly reshaping his sounds and evolving into something new ever few years. When we got word that Adrian was forming a new band that was heavier and more fusion based than the jazz and chamber ensemble music he has been very dedicated to for many years of his life, we made sure to follow up extensively so we could cover this record. This band is T.R.AM. and consists of the exceptionally gifted guitar workings of Javier Reyes and Tosin Abasi from Animals as Leaders, bass clarinet, percussion, flute and the signature saxophone sound of Adrian Terrezas-Gonzales and the exotically intricate, sublime and technical drum elements of Suicidal Tendencies drummer Eric Moore.

In the caliber of musicianship present with T.R.A.M., the aura, integrity and search for the new plateaus creates a barrage and apex of harmonic relationships. Intricately placed saxophone lines weave around the constantly shifting and blissful guitars that never seem to recycle any phrase from the last. Among the three soloist, there is an immediate differentiation to the players styles and personalities. The guitar sweeps and innovative path lines on the guitar neck are out of control and highlight a true sense of balance when the band pulls it back in very tightly and into the pocket. Eric Moore is one of the most tasteful yet complex drummers, adding a machine gun energy level of ghost notes and odd timed fills that never trip or run over the music. The music always becomes a reflection of the tonality and Eric Moore dives respects that with his kit on every song, showing the emotional and dynamic range of what the drums can become. He isn’t only playing rhythm, he adds color, taste and a strong sense of unique personality to the whole. T.R.A.M. is walking in the steps of the fusion artists of the 70′s by giving the world something completely independent of anything their contemporaries are doing while always keeping creativity and technicality at the central base of their purpose. Of course you can trace the influence and name off dozens of bands and artists, but the personalities of the musicians in T.R.A.M. and how it meshes into the album is undeniably unique. After many months of promotion and small teasers, the group is finally releasing their debut full length album Lingua Franca on Sumerian Records. 6 tracks and 30 minutes deep, this is an intense affair in some of the highest degrees of musicality possible. There is something very raw and imaginative that exists all over Lingua Franca. Velocity, speed, dexterity and a persistence to find the new is realized in full with pieces like ‘Endeavor’ and ‘Seven Ways Til Sunday’, showing all the worlds that these musicians come from in smoothly transitioned spheres of parts. Kelela Mizanekristos and Sheera Ehrig are the guest vocalist on this album and they add a perfect dimension that none of the men on the album can achieve. This is music of constant exchange, constant ideas and constant evolving of tones.

‘Seven Ways Til Sunday’, the first piece to the album starts off with a very choppy and explosive drum and dual guitar work out. The guitar works in a very dualistic way, with one that has a distinctively rougher and edgier tone that adds a lot of the elements of the Animals as Leaders sound. It has a shade of darkness that the other guitarist counter reacts in the tones he finds. Clear, almost keyboard like runs shape this counter guitar sound and the type of atmosphere now presents creates the perfect launching pad for Eric Moore to continually chase Adrian’s very free saxophone work. As Adrian weaves his parts around everything more dynamically, the song falls out and the song becomes a lot smoother, breathes a lot less heavier and the guest vocalist adds a really different aura that much of the instrumental work outs on the record don’t tap into. The ending of the pieces has a beautiful section of bass clarinet added in over the saxophone and percussion. This section is almost all Adrian besides the vocalist who remains. There is a vibrant and very natural feeling that pulls you out of the heaviness that made up most of the first track.

‘Consider Yourself Judged’ is the second piece on the album and starts off with a very complex drum solo intro that is immediately started off with all three harmonic players calling out the main melody. All four musicians leave no room for error and fall into a very technically sequenced bridging of notes that falls in and out like a tornado. This is one part of the album that floods into my mind like nothing I have ever heard in my life. The type of precision it takes to enter these harmony lines with everyone considered is nothing short of out of this world and becomes a rich fundamental tool displayed all over Lingua Franca. The tracks dramatic intro flat lines and comes to a centered position with the drumming really reflecting the type of night crawler feel that lays under this song. Exotic guitar parts and saxophone harmonize in a prince of darkness Miles Davis type of way. As the rhythm section becomes more divergent, Adrian’s playing sets on fire and he launches into the outer reaches of this world.

The third piece on the album, ‘Endeavor’ is easily my favorite track on the record. An elegant and softly placed intro with guitar and flute shapes the maiden voyage of this dynamically rich piece. The mastering on the record is superb and this track really highlights the subtle touches put on each instrument really well. The small slides on the guitar, the resonance on the flute, how the different drum hits interact with the harmonies, it’s a very big sound considering the type of tonality each instrument provides. As soon as the song is gently surfacing to its own voice, the track takes a very different turn and the 4 take full flight in an instrumental work out that has so many parts that defy immediate explanation. When you hear the guitar solo shade out and the saxophone pick up with the last line, it adds to the shaping of how these guys understand each other and how much more they understand their own instruments. The rhythm section always keeps this song moving forward, giving the fullest room for explosive guitar sweeps and crashing dynamic fall outs where the entire song becomes smooth again. As the third section comes in and the technicality moves up even one more notch, the ancient feeling of the flute grounds the number and allows the added bass clarinet to really shine. As the guitar sweeps that introduced this section come back in, this section cuts out immediately and an acoustic guitar doing the same sweep is mixed in perfectly. Flute adds the same sentiment it had over the electric period, giving another resting point in the album. The level of sound already conveyed is startling considering we are only 15 minutes into the album by the time ‘Endeavors’ finishes. The acoustic guitar that closes ‘Endeavors’ has a heavy flamenco feel along with a derivative of modern metal. This is music for the new age and for the person who loves to be completely absorbed into new derivatives of sound.

Lingua Franca from T.R.A.M. will stand out this year as one of the most diverse, conceptually altered  and technically rewarding albums. Javier Reyes, Eric Moore, Adrian Terrezas and Tosin Abasi are some of the most gifted and forward thinking musicians out right now and the collection of these artists under one roof has created an astounding body of work that we really hope is the first among many to come from the group. The album art for Lingua Franca was completed by the very talented surrealist painter Jeff Jordan and the record is being released by Summerian Records this month. This is instrumental music that we highly believe in, music that shows the vitality and spirit of everything we hold so dear about the arts in the span of an hours listen. For any fans of progressive music, Lingua Franca is a must own record.

-Erik Otis

T.R.A.M.
Lingua Franca
Sumerian Records

1. Seven Ways Till Sunday
2. Consider Yourself Judged
3. Endeavor
4. Haas Kicker
5. Hollywood Swinging
6. Inverted Ballad

Get the debut full length Lingua Franca from T.R.A.M. via Sumerian Records

‘Endeavor’ by T.R.A.M. (Sumerian Records)