Dustin Drews - Controversy (2018)

Drews demonstrates the chromatic fierceness of Garrett and graceful introspection of Blake, all the while laying down new avenues within the broad spectrum of microtonal improvisation. Contributing to the ebb and flow of this album is the oft variance in rhythmic styles and harmony from one tune to the next, demonstrating a fluid solidarity between a multitude of contrasting attitudes. Drews is a musical storyteller, and Controversy can be easily heard in one sitting or at one's leisure, over and over again. The thoughtfully measured yet crunchy, reactionary guitar styling of Igor Osypov adds to the yin-and-yang rapport between him and Drews, often expressed as one color throughout the melodic statements and as black and white in the solos. Completing the dynamic rhythm section are Uri Gincel on the piano, Andreas Lang on the acoustic bass and Jesus de Vega on the drums, all of which are well-seasoned players adding their two cents to the table. Gincel, an innovative heavyweight steeped in the jazz tradition, on piano, Lang, a tactful power-horse on the acoustic bass, and De Vega, a technically faultless and perceptive drummer driving this locomotive-like band; are, together with Drews and Osypov, a means to an album that offers both introspection and easy listening in one package.