Gallant, Joe & Illuminati - Shadowhead
SKU
ACCURATE044
I know Joe's work with Illuminati where he has covered Grateful Dead albums, but this huge ensemble work of musicians and singers (over 25 players, including Rob Henke-trumpet (Dr. Nerve) and Karen Mantler-voice) is a very brave large scale orchestrated rock work. "Joe Gallant's dense compositions pick up where his freakishly stylized arrangements of the Grateful Dead's Blues for Allah and Terrapin Station albums left off: a vivid cross-section of New York's downtown musical life, cross-cutting with abandon among moods and feels like a hungry listener hopping from club to club. He uses his large ensemble, Illuminati, to his fullest advantage and their best talents, creating a blend that manages to be both chaotic and controlled simultaneously. Like Illuminati's recording of Terrapin, haunting female voices drift in and out, setting a spooky vibe further propagated by the arrangements. While there are brash stylistic crossings here, they all combine into a distinctly cohesive Gallant style that lies somewhere between big band and the avant-garde."-Jesse Jarnow/All Music Guide [Accurate]