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Album Details

• Artist: Banyan
• Album: Live At Perkins Palace
• Label: Sanctuary
• Year of Release: 2004
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: rbidet on 2004-12-09

Instrumental albums are always a dicey prospect. It's hard to substitute a central focus as compelling as a vocal (a good one, anyway), regardless of how talented any bunch of players might be. Highly praised bands such as Tortoise or Cul De Sac or any number of those who forgo the human voice always seemed not to see the forest for the trees. Musicians of a certain caliber, say Miles Davis or Bela Bartok, well that's just a whole different level of expressiveness; I'm talking about rock musicians. So an instrumental album that is compelling on its own, without allowing you the opportunity to pine for the absent vocalist is rare, and Live at Perkins Palace is one. Banyan is the hard-jazzing pet project of former Jane's Addiction and Porno For Pyros drummer Stephen Perkins, but we all know that no listens to records for the drums, right? Wrong. I've often listened to the Sea & Cake just to hear the sublime drumming of John McIntire, but that actually isn't the case here. As fine a drummer as Mr. Perkins is, this disc is stolen by the shit-hot guitar of avant-jazzer Nels Cline. I'd always thought of Cline as a free-jazz player and as such was not interested, but if this is what he does in a more structured environment, then sign me the f*ck up! Amazing runs, squalls, impossible chords, no pointless wankery, and constant surprise and innovation. Fantastic. The dirty bass playing of the legendary ex-Minuteman Mike Watt is a treat, too. This disc avoids the pitfalls of jazz-fusion by placing visceral thrills over instrumental or music-theory showiness. Do yourself a favor, check this bunch out, crank it up and stare dumbfounded into space. Do yourself a favor, check this bunch out, crank it up and stare dumbfounded into space.

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