Peter Zummo's work has flown under the radar of most "serious music" cliques but contributes significantly to the canon of American art music as exemplified by everyone from Harry Partch to John Fahey. On this reissue, Zummo's liquid trombone sound and minimalist compositional style is fleshed out by the contributions of Arthur Russell on amplified cello and vocals, Guy Kluvecsek on accordion, Mustafa Ahmed on percussion and marimba and Bill Ruyle on tabla and marimba.
The music itself is a beautiful melding of acoustic timbres with a repetitive flow, maintaining a lyric narrative that is absent in the work of a lot of the current minimalist fashionistas. Ruyle's tabla work sparkles over the thrashing rhythms of Ahmed's percussion, while the rest of the ensemble chants a seamless liturgy throughout. "Song IV" is clearly the masterwork in this collection, a suite of fades that range from the strict march of minimalist sequences to out and out funk grooves. Lateral Pass is a lovely testament to Arthur Russell's influence and Zummo's penchant for modernity.
(Foo Records)The music itself is a beautiful melding of acoustic timbres with a repetitive flow, maintaining a lyric narrative that is absent in the work of a lot of the current minimalist fashionistas. Ruyle's tabla work sparkles over the thrashing rhythms of Ahmed's percussion, while the rest of the ensemble chants a seamless liturgy throughout. "Song IV" is clearly the masterwork in this collection, a suite of fades that range from the strict march of minimalist sequences to out and out funk grooves. Lateral Pass is a lovely testament to Arthur Russell's influence and Zummo's penchant for modernity.