WAYNE HORVITZ — Sweeter Than The Day (review)

WAYNE HORVITZ — Sweeter Than The Day album cover Album · 2001 · Post-Fusion Contemporary Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
Matt
Released in 2001 with the same personnel as Wayne Horvitz’s band Zony Mash but not the same music as the band being still a Quartet is acoustic now. Wayne Horvitz has quite a good a resume for a Jazz musician with film scores, various other bands and styles of music predominately Jazz, Electric and Classical that he has participated in. Many know him from his input into John Zorn’s music with the most well known being “Naked City” but this album “Sweeter Than The Day” also being the band’s name is at opposite ends of that spectrum. What we have here is, albeit being a Quartet this album seems to have more of a Trio sound with a laid back subdued take on the compositions that Wayne included for this project. Prepared and standard piano are played by him for this 2nd album by this incantation with Timothy Young on six and 12 string electric guitar, Keith Lowe on bass and Andy Roth on drums.

There is something about Wayne Horvitz’s piano technique that has always entranced me with the sound seeming to harken back to the early years of Jazz but still presented with a beautiful contemporary sound which is quite present in this acoustic album which starts off with the composition “In One Time and Another”. Plenty of space for this lower timed opening number and that old time sound really starts to emanate with the following “Julian’s Ballad” with Wayne keeping the theme never far off throughout with some beautiful subdued guitar from Timothy Young just adding to the sublime. “LTMBBQ” is mid tempo with Wayne again bouncing around the theme and never straying too far which is the technique he applies in all the compositions for the entire album and once again Young’s guitar just adds a lovely texture. “Sweeter Than The Day” the title track is back to a ballad with more of that old sound emanating from the piano input. “Irondbound” follows with “Waltz From The Oven” after which once again contains just a few notes that just keep reappearing to work around and is another of those beautiful subdued tracks within the album. Another that always grabs my attention whilst listening is “The Little Parade”. “George’s Solo” finishes the album up with more space and silence.

Still getting play here after 17 years since it release and for those days where time seems to slow whilst whiling away your day in the sun or just hanging out it is hard not to appreciate how Wayne Horvitz has captured and placed an atmosphere into wherever you are. Lovely stuff.
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