.. another dream project of mine was to do a chord-less group, all relying on the sheer push of the bass as steering the ship, so to speak. Will I steer the ship into open waters, where the options of destination are limitless, or simply steer the ship into a bunch of rocks? that’s the challenge.

The band couldn’t be any different than your usual quintet; the individual voices on this album as a collective is strange in its texture, and dynamic in its ability to swing.

The front line of Stefano Doglioni on bass clarinet, Stephen Riley on tenor sax and the great John Mosca on trombone! With me and Charles Goold on drums holding down the rhythm section this record is special simply for the SOUND of it.

Mysterious, quiet, but explicitly individual in originality and ideas. It sounds like a mouthful, but listen to the record and prove me wrong in my description!

Stefano, with that woodiness of the bass clarinet, Stephen whispering underneath him in support; then you add Mosca, an even lower tone and unique, and you got something.

The tunes were picked to showcase all the guys in different variations (playing the head of tunes in unison, a varying of two melody/counter-melody, etc.) and they don’t disappoint. There’s also tons of space for the guys to solo and they do! upon initial listening I used to describe it as a fistfight, but that encourages too much of an unnecessary exaggeration of what is really happening: guys with something to say, feeling free to let go and SWING!

I’m really proud of this, and I was able to keep up (laughing). A small note, this album was recorded in four hours in a snow storm, and I had the flu!

FOR PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL FORMAT PLEASE VISIT:

https://jamaledavis.bandcamp.com/album/morse-codes-from-the-opposite-land

Tunes:

1. Whispered Tradition (C. Byars)

2. Sweet Blanche (G. Wallington)

3. Janitor With Stamina (J. Davis)

4. Taste Like Chicken (N. Goold)

5. Flight Of The Humble Bee (B. Harris)

6. 186 Butler Street (N. Saidi)

7. Everybody Loves A Clean Floor! (J. Davis)

8. Double Clutching (C. Israels)