Kindred

Bob Kindred Quartet - Blue Moon (2004) [Japan 2016]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 70:05 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 2,24 GB
or DSD64 2.0 (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Front/Rear Covers | 1,99 GB
or FLAC (carefully converted & encoded to tracks) 24bit/48 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 817 MB

Bob Kindred is a great tenor sax player who is consistently underrated and underexposed. Aside from some CDs released by a small audiophile label Mapleshade, it is not easy to find his leader albums in the market. Venus Records wanted to correct this situation and signed Kindred a few years ago and released this label debut album, Blue Moon.

Just David Newman's third film score, The Kindred is a work of surprising sophistication and maturity, especially given the lowbrow origins of its creature-feature subject. Newman's macabre interpretation of classical traditions and deft fusion of orchestral and electronic elements create a palpable sense of drama and dread – his themes unfold like black orchids in bloom, with simple, foreboding melodies that build to dizzying eruptions of sound. While largely forgoing substance for style, The Kindred does offer several glimpses of Newman's emerging hallmarks. In particular, the chilling "Transformation" employs atonal string effects and dissonant woodwinds rooted in modernist sensibilities, anticipating the harmonic complexity of film scores to come.

There should be a warning on the album cover "Do not operate heavy machinery or drive an automobile while listening to this CD." The very first sound is a splash, and believe me it's your consciousness taking a dive into the deep end. It's interesting the attention Charlie Roscoe (the brain behind Jairamji) gives to creating environments. On several of the tracks you'll hear birds, streams & waterfalls. These sounds gently enhance the aspect of "another time another space", which is essential for a nice variation of the chill. This album is a vacation for your mind. Everyone needs a way out from the daily grind, and Kindred Spirits is a four star vehicle…