Dan Berg and The Gestalt Releases MANIFESTO Album

Manifesto, the debut recording by Dan Berg and the Gestalt, introduces a major new voice to the world of contemporary music, one consciously changing the manner in which modern sounds are created and heard. A native of Philadelphia, the young keyboardist/composer graduated from Hampshire College where he studied under multi-instrumentalist Marty Erhlich. He is now a current resident of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where he has continued to develop his own unique brand of music. Although his compositions are, at heart, informed by his knowledge and experience as a jazz pianist, they draw from many different sources and styles -- from jazz to rock to classical and world musics. The overall product strikes a smooth balance between groove and art, visceral and cerebral, the popular and the esoteric.

With Manifesto, Dan Berg and his colleagues refuse to be pigeonholed into any single category of artistic expression. Instead, they combine their disparate musical backgrounds into an eclectic new sound. The band truly lives up to the appellation, Gestalt, in that the group itself is far greater than the sum of its very talented individual parts: vocalist Kristin Young, clarinetist Adrian Mira, alto saxophonist Jessica Lurie, bassist Matt Wigton and drummer Pat Agresta. They are all seasoned artists with distinct backgrounds who nonetheless ascend to high levels of creativity when their unique voices are blended together. As a result of this synergy, Berg's inimitable songs become beautiful mosaics where the individual sections come together seamlessly so that their original sources disappear into one unified whole.

The opening song "Waiting for a Hit" is an edifying example of Berg's intriguing process. The composer's solitary rhythmic triangle introduces the piece delicately. Kristin Young's soaring operatic soprano is soon joined by the funky electric bass and rocking drums of Wigton and Agresta in a jarring segue reminiscent of the forceful fusion first heard on Miles' On The Corner. The addition of Berg's melodica (an instrument he performs on with estimable skill as a result of his experience playing dub and reggae) adds yet another distinctive element to the amalgam. Fully fleshing out the harmonic spectrum are alto sax and clarinet players, Lurie and Mira, both of whom prove themselves to be excellent soloists over Berg's Rhodes in the section that follows. After a brief bass interlude the piece continues to evolve with shifting melodic moods played over a slow backbeat. The song is a stunning melding of musical styles that clearly identifies Berg's vast compositional power.

"Why is a Crooked Letter" opens with Agresta setting down an intricate odd metered drum pattern against which Berg's acoustic piano sets a mood that is surprisingly both relaxed and urgent at the same time. Mira's liquid-toned clarinet is the perfect foil for Berg in establishing a tone that inhabits both the jazz and classical worlds, while Agresta's jagged drumming propels the group into more groove-oriented realms.

In "Relish Your Fears" Berg uses the Fender Rhode's distinctive tonal qualities to lay down an impressionistic sonic setting on which he intersperses his many melodic ideas. Here Lurie's edgy alto saxophone and Agresta's anxious drumming recall the early M-Base experiments of Steve Coleman, while the leader's electric piano is reminiscent of the ethereal romanticism of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi group. Subsequent shifting moods of melancholy and optimism keep the listener's interest piqued until the track glides to a soft landing.

On "Timshel (Thou Mayest)" Berg beautifully expresses his spiritual philosophy of finding focus and profundity in each moment, questioning habit, and appreciating the intricacies of the world. The hope is that the music here be deeply felt, not simply heard. The song, whose title alludes to the Hebrew word famously explored most in John Steinbeck's East Of Eden, is one of the album's many high points, beginning with Berg's acoustic piano prelude to Kristin Young's stirring reading of his insightful lyrics, after which she swings wordlessly over an infectious tango section that morphs magically into a rock-driven rereading of the profound opening words.

Berg's Fender Rhodes opens "Conexions" with a gentle repeated melody that is soon contrasted by the dissonant blending of clarinet and alto over a strictly demarcated rhythm. The song has a consistent and infectious groove that drives the solo section through soulful funk and r&b. The fading outro plays with a reggae feel that is obviously a salute to some of his earlier reggae influences.

"Hook it Up" is a feature for Mira's lovely toned clarinet on which the melodic spirit of slow gypsy dance music is married to the sound of modern rhythm and blues on Berg's electric piano. With the tight and driving support of Wigton's bass and Agresta's drums, Berg manages to make the 5/4 time signature seem incredibly comfortable and familiar.

Berg's feel for music and matters spiritual is alluded to clearly in the gospel- inflected melody, reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready," that opens his "Vibrant Phases." Kristin Young's angelic voice delivers the composer's inspired lyrics with a passion and devotion that invests her every word with otherworldly power. The lyrics can be found on the inside of the CD jacket.

The concluding "Magnetisma" is a delightfully understated exposition of Berg's solo acoustic piano. An ambling blues inflected piece that ventures through various moods, from Afro-Cuban to Indian to classical, played with heartfelt poignancy that is appropriate to the composer's intense dedication to his art.

This music made by Dan Berg and Gestalt on Manifesto is much more than just notes and song forms; In Berg's words "it's a statement about life, meant to by enjoyed and pondered - to move the listener physically, emotionally, and intellectually." Warmly recorded in pure analog and attractively designed with intriguing graphics, Manifesto is a work of art that signals the arrival of an important new musician/composer, one with the ability to fulfill his need to be original and contemporary, while still reaching the hearts, minds and souls of many different listeners.

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