resAUnance

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Highly emotional and ravishingly beautiful, Migration is a feast for the ears and heart. Performed by resAUnance, a cooperative quartet, which began as a trio comprised of vibraphonist/percussionist John Bacon, vocalist Esin Gündüz, pianist Michael McNeill with electric cellist Jonathan Golove added later, this combination of unique instrumentation and innovative musicians has created an astonishing multipart sonic poem.

Each player brings their own identity to the group. Gündüz has one of those magical voices which can be completely pure one second, only to throb with emotion the next when singing words or vocalized syllables. Bacon uses the vibraphone almost as an electronic instrument, with the high sustain and soft mallets producing glistening curtains of sound. McNeill's piano playing is carefully crafted to complement the vibraphone when they play together. Fitting between and around all of this is the electric cello of Golove that can sing lines, alone or around the others, or provide a bottom.

The six tracks include two compositions by Bacon, two by McNeill (including a reworking of "Wild Geese," originally from Flight) and two folk songs from Thrace, an area near the Bulgarian border with Turkey. However, the album has more of the feel of a suite rather than individual tracks; the group's multi-layered sound washes over the sound stage, allowing each piece to feel as if they run into each other.

Gündüz is magnificent throughout. The opening track, "Kizilciklar Oldu Mu," is a happy tune in 9/8, played often at weddings and deals with courtship and matchmaking. This mood changes in Bacon's astounding "Flame," the longest track; its words are an evocative love poem, with music that captures the essence of a flaming fire, which is both comforting and dangerous, constantly changing yet seemingly substantial, making it easy to get lost in its depths.

McNeill's "Wild Geese" opens with a wonderful cello solo, gradually blending with percussion, creating an aura of vast expanses. Piano joins in, and later vibes, building the tension. By the time Gündüz enters with her vocalizations, we are in flight, looking down on the sun-drenched ground below; the texture of the second half opens up and mountains loom in the distance. Quite an amazing track, and an equal counterbalance to "Flame."

The mood changes and becomes much more somber with "Bir firtina," which is a folk song about the displacement of the entire population of Thrace, then within the Ottoman Empire, in the years between 1878 and 1912. Gündüz singing expresses the anguish, pain and suffering of the people who lost everything: their homes, lands and families.

After the aural pallate cleanser of McNeill's "Interlude," which moves from sorrow to hope, Migration ends with the title tune. Vibes and piano set the sound stage wide open for more of Gündüz's vocalizing. This migration is one of nature, as Bacon makes the vibes sing at the wonder of it all.

Quite amazing music; mere words fail to describe its emotional power. Without a doubt a "Best Of" 2016.

Track Listing: Kizilciklar Oldu Mu; Flame; Wide Geese; Bir Firtina; Interlud; Migration.

Personnel: John Bacon: vibraphone, percussion; Jonathan Golove: electric cello; Esin Gündüz: voice; Michael McNeill: piano.

Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: FMR Records | Style: Beyond Jazz - AllAboutJazz

The American, chamber jazz quartet resAUnance offers a unique aesthetics. Its four musicians, all composers on their own right, feel at home with free improvisation, modern jazz or contemporary and avantgarde music. Add to that the exotic flavor of folk songs from Thrace – the area in southeast Europe, centered on the modern borders of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey – and the you may get an idea about the quartet diverse and versatile music language.

resAUnance feature Turkish vocal artist Esin Gündüz; percussionist John Bacon, member of several contemporary percussion ensembles and modern jazz outfits; cellist Jonathan Golove who also alternates between contemporary music, including as a soloist of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and modern jazz; and pianist Michael McNeill, who leads a trio with acclaimed double bass player Ken Filiano and drummer Phil Haynes. The quartet began to perform as a trio of Gündüz, Bacon and McNeill in 2013, collaborated with trumpeter Dave Ballou, and in 2014 became a quartet with the addition of Golove. The quartet debut album was recorded on the same year in Buffalo, New York, where all four musicians met.

The arrangements of the folk songs from Thrace, «Kızılcıklar Oldu Mu?», and «Bir fırtına» are the most interesting pieces here. Both set the open, inclusive atmosphere of this album, navigating organically between emotionally intense, Mediterranean vocal ornamentations and the nuanced, odd meter pulse. Other pieces, as «Flame» and the title piece, suggest a different atmosphere, more delicate and reserved. These pieces employ the acrobatic-operatic range of Gündüz vocals, encompassed gently by the playful vibes of Bacon, the dreamy cello of Golove and the singing piano of McNeill.

Highly original. Will be interesting to see if the great potential of resAUnance will be realized in future albums.

Eyal Hareuveni

John Bacon Jr. (vib, perc), Jonathan Golove (c), Esin Gündüz (v), Michael McNeill (p) - Salt Peanuts

It starts with a formidable trio: John Bacon, vibraphone and percussion; Jonathan Golove, electric cello; and Michael McNeill, piano. Add the eerie, wordless vocals of Esin Gündüz, and get ready for some of the most ethereal music you'll ever hear. Gündüz was born in Istanbul, Turkey, and the group performs a few Turkish folk songs, but even those are other-worldly. The musicians are equally fascinating to watch, especial when Bacon starts bowing the bars on his vibraphone. The name "resAUnance" combines the "resonance" of the voice and instrument combination with the "AU," from PAUSA Art House in Buffalo. - City Newspaper