Matt Skellenger’s Parentheticals pushes instrumental jazz to new unique levels with its experimentation. Skellenger proves himself to be among some of the elite bassists with his performance on the album. While you won’t find a single guitar track on Parentheticals, Skellenger still builds beautiful melodies with help from guest musicians Ron Miles, Dave Miller, and Andy Skellenger.
Skellenger wastes no time proving that a bass can lay down melodic riffs as well as a guitar can on Parentheticals. The floating bass melodies of the opener “The Inner Rule” will instantly remove any skepticism you have about Skellenger’s ability. “Simple Life” is another impressive display of bass playing, as the melodies come with an infectious rhythm.
Building on the bass foundation, Ron Miles adds smart brass lines to the album on coronet. The tandem playing of Skellenger and Miles on songs like “Makeda” and “Astrocyte” are great examples of how two musicians can work together to make amazing melodies on very different instruments.
Another of Parentheticals strengths comes from the percussion playing of Dave Miller and Andy Skellenger. Instead of relying on a standard drum kit, Miller and Andy Skellenger make impressive rhythms using percussion like the traditional Indian drum Tabla and the African drum Udu. “Storm” and “Remember” make the most use of these instruments and give a unique, earthy tone to Parentheticals.
Parentheticals definitely experiments with unique sounds, but remains accessible enough to not drive off listeners. The CD also shows great instrumental ability from all its players. Matt Skellenger truly stands-out in his genre, jazz-lovers need to be sure to get a copy of this album.
March 8, 2009
