Ava Mendoza, Devin Hoff, Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation (2023) [Hi-Res]

'Echolocation' is the astonishing debut album from Mendoza Hoff Revels, a formidable new unit led by Ava Mendoza & Devin Hoff and featuring James Brandon Lewis & Ches Smith.

While Mendoza and Hoff have floated around each other's musical orbits for decades, and have been friends for some time, this is their first work together on record. It is an electric & holy harmonic fusion of highly estimable musical forces; wholly rendered. The original impetus of this group was Mendoza’s, based on the love she and Hoff shared for aggressive and polyglot electric avant-garde ensembles – artists like mid-80's Black Flag (w/ Roessler & Stevenson) and Ornette Coleman's Prime Time bands revolutionized the way they heard music. As stated in their liner notes, "we shared the writing of these pieces, though without the sizable stamps of both James and Ches, they would sound nothing like they do here.”

The result – 21st Century progressive rock played by punk rockers with serious improv skills and a deep jazz feel. And vitally – non-stop wicked catchy tunes, riffs & grooves.

Strong sonic references on our initial hearing at AUM Fidelity were The Stooges’ Funhouse, rendered by an entire band readily adept at rapidly swinging rhythmic & harmonic shifts (plus tenor sax on every track!) -&- minutemen, both their entire body of music & their fundamental egalitarian punk ethos. A higher combo accolade to any "rock-adjacent" band playing with electricity we at AUM cannot bestow.

Ava Mendoza [ avamendozamusic.bandcamp.com ] is a singular guitarist–composer–songwriter best known for her solo guitar/voice performances & as leader of experimental rock band Unnatural Ways. Over the past decade, her prodigious & long-honed six-string skills have illuminated numerous projects, very recently w/ Bill Orcutt's Guitar Quartet & William Parker's Mayan Space Station [ williamparker.bandcamp.com/album/mayan-space-station ]. Fellow master guitarist Marc Ribot wrote of Ava’s work, “beautiful, powerful and highly original - a new sound, a new voice".

Devin Hoff [ devinhoff.bandcamp.com ] is a bassist–composer–arranger who has worked extensively with creative musicians & bands spanning genres & generations, incl. Sharon Van Etten, Julia Holter, Nels Cline, Yoko Ono. Hoff has appeared on over 100 records and performed at major rock and jazz rock festivals across 5 continents. Devin's 'Solo Bass' is on record as being one of Laurie Anderson's Top 5 Albums of All Time.

James Brandon Lewis is a tremendously gifted tenor saxophonist–composer, with a wide-open mind to the cosmos of Music and the ability to give powerful new voice to same. His Red Lily Quintet's 'Jesup Wagon' swept the #1 slot in all major U.S. Jazz critics polls in 2022. Its follow-up, 'For Mahalia, With Love', released in September 2023.

Ches Smith's exceptionally deep & distinctive gifts on all manner of percussion have led to great work together with Tim Berne, John Zorn, Darius Jones, and, among his own creations as a leader is the remarkably beautiful, 'Path of Seven Colors', a bountiful fruit of his devout study of Haiti's Vodou musical traditions.

'Echolocation' was recorded by Jim Clouse at Park West Studios (as was Mayan Space Station) & then masterfully mixed by John Dieterich (of Deerhoof).

Ava Mendoza: electric guitar, compositions
Devin Hoff: electric bass, compositions
James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone
Ches Smith: drums