Alchemy Records Elevates the Vibe With “Momentarily,” the Highly Anticipated New Album From Guitarist Jon Durant
Alchemy Records is thrilled to announce the release of “Momentarily,” an ensemble tour de force from celebrated composer guitarist Jon Durant. The album showcases the best of Durant’s unique skill set, an amalgamation of transcultural, jazz-related styles, that gives way to euphoric, universally relatable grooves and soundscapes. A trio recording featuring Durant alongside longtime musical partners Colin Edwin (bass) and Andi Pupato (drums/ percussion), both legends in their own right, this musical jewel showcases rare mastery through individually compelling tracks and comprehensive arcs.
The responsive and fluid interaction of these three collaborators immediately draws listeners in. Created initially as a series of guitar improvisations by Durant, the composer then developed and rearranged the pieces for trio. Grounded musical elements beautifully balance freely improvised aspects, hinting at one of the key ingredients of Durant’s signature, sublime sound. The seamless flow between composition and improvisation leaves the listener in an effortless state of engagement.
Throughout “Momentarily” Durant’s explorative guitar leads the way. His expressive use of fretless guitar on all but one of the tracks “shows he is one of the precious few practitioners on the instrument that elevate it beyond its usual presence as a mere novelty.” (All About Jazz) In addition, his use of guitar synth – in this case playing a modified sample of an Armenian Duduk – adds a breathy counterpoint to his emotionally tinged guitar parts.
Percussionist Andi Pupato (Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin, Andreas Vollenwider, Fractal Sextet) shines throughout with his totally unique hybrid kit comprising both hand drums and conventional drum set. This distinctive collection of timbres emotes the open space of European jazz with considerable Middle Eastern elements that the hand drums reveal alongside Durant’s Fretless guitar. Anchoring the whole process is bassist Colin Edwin (O.R.k., Gaudi, Burnt Belief), with whom Durant has worked extensively over the past 12 years. On “Momentarily” he is playing acoustic basses (upright and fretless acoustic) providing a sonorous low end balancing out the whole picture. His beautifully melodic playing on the opening track “In A Moment” provides especially delightful interaction with Durant and Pupato.
Among the standout tracks on the album is the epic “Rockets on Kyiv.” Originally conceived and recorded on the morning Russia bombed the glass bridge in Kyiv (where Durant, Edwin and Ukrainian singer Inna Kovtun had filmed many scenes in the video for their song “Gannochka”). When Durant steps on the distortion on this one, you can instantly feel the deep emotions he was experiencing that morning. In addition, the one track with fretted guitar (“Bitter Wind”) shows a depth of gratitude towards his Scandinavian musical influences.
“Momentarily” will be available on Bandcamp beginning March 29, 2024, and all streaming services on April 16, 2024.
To purchase:https://jondurant.bandcamp.com/
About Jon Durant
Explorative · Expressive · Transcultural · Texture-driven Guitarist, composer, and producer Jon Durant is one of the world’s most distinguished proponents of creative, transcultural jazz. With his impressive legacy of collaborative work and highly acclaimed, genre-defying albums, Durant is “one of the reigning masters of what might be called ‘infinitely manipulated atmospheric guitar effects’… [He] sets a standard to be defined by… [with] brilliance and vision.” (All Music) Combining a nuanced and emotive fretless playing style with explorative effects, Durant integrates aspects of jazz, ambient music, progressive rock, and ethnically sourced material in lush, multi-textured melodies. His signature “guitar clouds” create compelling textures and moods over which he brings directionality with enticing riffs and solos. Sought out for his uniquely American aesthetic in a predominantly European style, Durant is a go-to collaborator for multi-genre, improvised music. In partnership with renowned bassist Colin Edwin, Durant has formed the duo Burnt Belief, releasing four albums and creating “elegant, sophisticated music of multiple genres… [that] evolves toward the best of many worlds and still sounds like nobody else… a sonic paradise of the uppermost quality.” (Prog Archives) Durant is also a member of the celebrated Fractal Sextet, with guitarist / composer Stephan Thelen, pianist Fabio Anile, Colin Edwin, and drummers Yogev Gabay and Andi Pupato. Of their debut, All About Jazz commented, “Durant’s guitar is a near-perfect stylistic counter…. he is one of the precious few practitioners on the instrument that elevates it beyond its usual presence.” Durant splits his time between Boston and Portland, Oregon, and frequently travels to Europe for musical projects. As the founder and producer of Alchemy Records and with an extensive discography that includes eleven solo albums, Durant has “delivered pristine music year after year… effortless and sure.” (Art Rockin)
