Danny Fisher-Lochhead (saxophone) and Ryan Blotnick (guitar) have found kinship amidst the peaceful, remote environs of Maine, a place where both have found escape from the ever-maddening world where they can reflect and recharge their batteries. During the COVID winter of 2020-21 when things seemed at its bleakest, the two huddled up on an island off the Pine Tree State’s coast and turned isolation into music. Ambient, wandering, open air, searching music.
small talk culls together Fisher-Lochhead/Blotnick sessions that offer music that is easily relatable but impossible to categorize. They’re jazz musicians but there’s really no jazz to be found here. It’s just intimate and peaceful expression. Earnest mood music with no trace of vapidness.
As highly trained musicians, the two can drop chops like they were pennies but you won’t hear any of that on small talk. And that’s just fine: the eight tunes they came up with together just improvising are the result of a communion of musicians finding respite from all the craziness out there.
The soul-filling notes drawn out of Fisher-Lochhead’s alto saxophone find a perfect complement in Blotnick’s unhurriedly picked guitar where each note in an arpeggiated chord makes a sparkling sound, from the opener “Can I Tell You” to the closing “Nico Sunrise.”
The flow is all natural, and “Can I Tell You” even flows right into “At Sea Haircuts” without any perceptible break between the two.
In its brief three minutes, “Far Fjord” is episodic, turning from one melodic development to a completely different one without disrupting the vibe of the song. The somber “Yes Yes We Must,” and “This Could Be The End” are darker, giving hint of the winter in which these songs were born.
The highest point comes at “Bluebird,” which is so fluidly lyrical – even comes with a fetching bridge – and both play it with a prettiness that’s heartfelt and not overly sugary.
Out of a cold seclusion comes the music of hope, serenity and rebirth. small talk is coming out on February 25, 2022 from Ears and Eyes Records.
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