Ton Trio, The Way. An exciting, adventurous album of
avant-garde and free jazz led by Mills College student Aram Shelton,
who wrote all six songs and plays alto saxophone and bass clarinet.
Percussive drummer San Ospovat, also from Mills, and improvisational
bassist Kurt Kotheimer complete the trio. Their music roves
evenhandedly from frantic to melodic to calm. (Singlespeed Music)
Fancy Dan Band, Born Fancy. Demonstrating a dedication
to authentic Americana, the Fancy Dan Band trekked from the Bay Area to
Nashville to record its debut album over three manic days. It worked.
Not that Born Fancy is a country record — rock, gospel,
and folk are equally at home here — but it feels windswept with
Midwestern dust, true to the troubadour tradition. (self-released)
Janaka Selekta, Pushing Air. In 2007, London deejay
Gaudi blended dub production with vocals from late Pakistani devotional
singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. San Francisco’s Janaka Selekta takes a
similar approach, minus the uniformly profound vocals. His fusion of
Indian classical and folk, dub, and other electronic touches often
eschews singing altogether, but still gets the job done well.
(self-released)
At the Elbo Room (647 Valencia St., San Francisco) on Mar. 22. 9
p.m., $7
Dave Rude Band, Dave Rude Band EP. The cover art
features singer/guitarist Dave Rude (who also plays in ancient
Sacramento hard-rock band Tesla) sporting a KISS shirt, drummer Josh
Schmidt in a Descendents shirt, and bassist Marco Guzman in a Hendrix
shirt. But across these six songs, the reliably tight trio’s sound more
closely resembles a melodic, modernized mix of Buckcherry and Alice in
Chains. (self-released)
