By Bill Meyer | Published March 2017
Shane Parish and Frank Rosaly are at home playing in a multitude of circumstances. Parish is an Asheville, North Carolina-based guitarist who plays high-energy avant-rock with Ahleuchatistas, rustic melodies and prepared instruments with acoustic trio The Library Of Babel, and free improvisation with guitarist Tashi Dorji. Rosaly is a drummer who splits his time between Chicago and Amsterdam and his attention between electro-acoustic solo recordings, backing up folk rocker Ryley Walker, jazz collaborators and traditional Puerto Rican sounds in ¡Todos De Pie!
When musicians play so many things well, their first decision when they decide to make music together is what they will play. Parish restricts himself to nylon-string acoustic guitar, which he uses to pluck out intricate, pensive melodies. Rosaly, on the other hand, keeps his options wide open, moving unpredictably around the outskirts of his kit, pitching hovering bell tones, skittering barrages and coarse scrapes across the drum skins. About the only thing he doesn’t do is lay down a groove. Their improvisations thrive on contrasting tones and dynamics, but even when it seems like they are playing in parallel rather than with each other their attunement manifests in splendid complementarity.
Labrys: Hevate; Hera; Cybele; Yemaya; Inanna; Obba; Artemis; Venus Of Laussel; Nekhbet. (43:17)
Personnel: Shane Parish, acoustic guitar; Frank Rosaly, drums, percussion.
