Sacramento-based guitarist Ross Hammond calls his duo with nearby drummer Jon Bafus “one of my favorite collaborations,” which should be apparent now that the duo is coming forth with another set of recordings just a year and a half after their first album. New Milwaukee – out today – continues the free-improv Appalachia of their debut effort Masonic Lawn
Hammond always does something a little different on an album that he hadn’t done previously. In this instance, here is the first time he’s playing lap steel guitar on his Resonator exclusively. Lest you think that the drummer is just tagging along with the guitarist, “Get Down!” makes clear there are two alpha males in the room: Bafus’ esoteric rhythm kicks off the song and only when Hammond enters with his harmonic ideas that it’s understood where Bafus was taking this. Together, they make a lot happen over the course of what seems like a fleet eight minutes, so much that you probably wouldn’t even notice it was all based on a single chord.
No timekeeping is performed on “Boards” until Hammond locates a groove and then Bafus summons a really creative beat to complement him. Timekeeping is dispensed with altogether for “The Time With You,” but Bafus closely follows the vibe of Hammond.
Indeed, over the course of the album one gets a stronger sense that Bafus is the primary aggressor, playing with a lot of freedom and propulsion crafted around Hammond’s blues trances. The drummer in a prog-rock state of mind while Hammond’s living in Clarksdale for “Blues For Keith Cary.” A similar strategy is carried out for “Grass Salad,” only Bafus’ restless drums are carried out with a lighter touch. With a funky trot from Bafus that initiates “Of All The Turkeys I’ve Ever Known,” there’s no telling what will follow, but Hammond spins a charming, rustic melody that combined with the rhythm forms a danceable meditation.
“Preach, Robert Johnson!” is Delta blues-based just as the title might suggest, but Bafus is playing a march and Hammond’s lap steel reminds me more of Muddy Waters than Mr. Johnson. No matter, this is a clever new twist on an old music form that ends far too soon.
It doesn’t matter how antiquated and rustic a lap steel and drums getup might seem, when the mindset of jazz improvisers like Ross Hammond and Jon Bafus is brought to the equation, fresh and captivating things can happen. That’s just what happens all over New Milwaukee.
New Milwaukee can be had here.
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