Over time, we’ve covered a lot of music made at least in part by drummer Scott Amendola and trumpet player Shane Endsley but had never the two crossed paths in this space … until now. Invisible Bird is a project that brings together the progressive jazz elites, charter members of Kneebody and the Nels Cline Singers along with guitarist Dave Devine of the Brian Blade Fellowship.
As these guys are comfortable in just about any genre, so does the product they make on their debut album Flutter To Fuzz touch on so many styles. And if it often sounds bigger than a trio, well, that might be because both Devine and Endsley are involved with creating the low end bass parts via pedals and any of the three might toss in electronic effects here and there.
But the opener “Colorado Reel” is a clean get-off: Endsley trumpet effects are deployed so cleverly, you might think he dubbed over his horn several times. Amendola brings thunder with his signature deep groove and Devine keeps things well in the pocket with Scofield-like instincts.
“Keep Digging” is the kind of sturdy old funk that Charlie Hunter loves to mine, but after starting with a feet-moving pair of tunes, the trio go for the ethereal on “Bucketful of Miracles,” a nice showcase for Endsley’s pure tone, and also for Devine’s rock bonafides as the song gathers steam when Amendola’s drums gather momentum like a train attaining cruising speed.
There are more spots where the trio trades in groove for texture, without sacrificing musicianship. There isn’t a cello in sight for “Cello Song,” but it’s a decided turn into folk territory, with Amendola’s brushes softly making a lot of impact. “Amelia” could have been on a Bill Frisell album, it’s charming blend of jazz, folk and country that’s also not too far removed from Blade’s Fellowship music. “Momentum & Backlash,” the album’s longest track, is also the its most experimental. Amply imbued with electronic hues, song structure is dispensed in favor of alien sonic terrain but pushing back against that current is Amendola’s tactful improvising.
On a couple of occasions, the band call in for a little help: “Every Time I Look Down, I See You Up There” is snowballing alternative rock excursion, featuring the background vox of Orenda Fink from the Dream pop duo Azure Ray. Folk artist Sam Amidon is on hand to provide vocals on the rock-heavy riff “A Little Dizzy” but even better is his contribution on fiddle.
Ultimately, though, Invisible Bird is comprised of crack jazz musicians, and they aren’t too shy to show off that side of them. “Swagger of the Tail Wagger” more than casually evokes Thelonious Monk, and it’s a treat to hear Endsley brandish his considerable straight-jazz chops. “Squirm, Sir Worm” is a wonderfully weird electro-acoustic coda that alternately swings and goes all-out free.
Flutter To Fuzz doesn’t seem bound by any script or parameters but that hardly makes Invisible Bird formless; it’s a band defined by three strong music personalities who are playing a lot of the kind of stuff that they love. Trusting in their own tendencies, Scott Amendola, Shane Endsley, Dave Devine made creative music evocative of many and replicated by none.
