Patrick Grant: A Sequence of Waves (twelve stories and a dream)

Patrick Grant
A Sequence of Waves (Twelve Stories and a Dream)
(Peppergreen Media)

Musician/composer Patrick Grant certainly presents a rich tapestry with his new album, A Sequence of Waves (Twelve Stories and a Dream).

A slicing viola, mallet percussion, and Dan Cooper’s 7-sting electric bass move us through the arpeggio layer of opener, “Lucid Intervals,” then we slip into jumpy metallic sweeps, and the driving patterns of Grant’s lead guitar on “Driving Patterns.” The big stomps behind the kinetic movements, and wailing guitar moments, remind me of early U.K.

There’s a triplet of tunes midway here that seem to set into one another, as much from their titles as their sound. First there’s “Alcohol,” with its strings offsetting the pluck and fray, into a rather straight ahead rocker (John Ferrari is great here on drums, as he is throughout). Then comes “Tobacco,” a slow lament meeting of Lynn Bechtold’s violin and Grant’s piano, followed by “Firearms,” a big fusion-like staccato show-off, with guitar noodling and again Cooper’s wonderfully roiling bass.

“Breaking Butterflies Upon a Wheel” features bass, guitar, drums, and keys all racing round one another on a couple of main riffs. It really sounds like the players are having a blast bringing things off so fast. While “Lonely Ride Coney Island,” slows us down in breathy Tangerine Dream-like sweeps, tinkling keys way back in the mix and a sadness to a simple melody line just barely noticeable as the key layering progresses.

The sound of a layered push-button phone provides the bed to the jangly fusion of the mid-tempo final tune “One Note Samba.”  Street sounds come in later, but Grant keeps us to the beat and brings us an almost early-Genesis instrumental like ending.

A Sequence of Waves (Twelve Stories and a Dream) is thoughtful, well-played stuff from Patrick Grant.