Ryan Saranich – Exceptional Chaos
Ryan Saranich – Exceptional Chaos – EP Review
You certainly won’t find me complaining about the opening into this record – as “Like-Minded Tyrant Part 1” started up Exceptional Chaos, I felt like we all get treated to a stellar combination of mystery and melody as one, and heck yeah, that’s intriguing to me in the right type of way that makes me want to listen to more. And ain’t that what an opening track is supposed to be all about? It’s our gateway in, isn’t it? In my opinion, Ryan Saranich got the right balance to get me interested right off the drop. I might concede that the level of chaos seems fairly subdued…in fact, I’d probably tell ya my first impression tells me that Saranich is actually in full control…but with “Like-Minded Tyrant Part 1” being a fairly simple & straightforward piano-led intro-style tune of just over a minute, let’s see what else we’ve got here. As far as my experience goes, you can only control chaos for so long – just ask Jurassic Park.
Sliding straight into “Like-Minded Tyrant Part 2,” you gotta love what you find here as Ryan and an extraordinarily talented crew go on to create some Exceptional Chaos for ya. Love the keys at the start of this second tune, and love how the brass begins to get their moments in the spotlight as well with the sax and trumpet making themselves known. The drums are freakishly outstanding, as is the bass – like, let’s be clear here, this rhythm section is world-class y’all. From what I understand, a lot of what you hear IS the main star of the show…as in, Ryan’s responsible for the Tenor Sax, Bass, Keyboards, Percussion and Programming – but make no mistake, he’s enlisted all the right talent around him with an array of studio aces like Michael D’Angelo (Drums), Troy Conn (Guitar), Marcus Jones (Trumpet, Keyboards, Programming), Jamie Song (Grand Piano, Synth), Manuel Valera (Rhodes, Synth), Harry Waters (Hammond Organ), and the essential Stacy Huggins on the…umm…on the…Potatohead? I tell ya folks, I’m in my mid-forties and there is always something new to learn in this lifetime, yes indeed. Anyhow – they’re collectively makin’ mincemeat outta their instruments on “Like-Minded Tyrant Part 2” and cutting up the proverbial rug y’all. Listen to Ryan’s sax around the 2:30 mark will ya? Good lord, get this man some oxygen! Sound fantastic – and to be truthful, they all do. I’m absolutely impressed with the timing of their instrumentation, but equally by their unity when playing together – they move as one, and it’s truly awesome to listen to. Ryan and his surrounding talents sound every bit as skillful and entertaining as something you’d find by Snarky Puppy – they know how to make Jazz thrilling & exciting, and if you’re not enticed by something as remarkable as “Like-Minded Tyrant Part 2” and encouraged to keep on listening, dear readers, dear friends…you need some help. The amount of color and flavor to be found here is nothing short of incredible…the definition in the performance & production is staggering! LISTEN to D’angelo on the drums in the third minute of this tune…that’s award-worthy stuff, straight up.
“Escape Plan” gives you that drama you wanna find in great Jazz music, and the kind of steady instrumental storybuilding you rarely find out there in the scene unless you happen to be listening to this specific genre, or something in the Progressive realm. Over the course of nearly ten minutes in length, there’s no doubt that “Escape Plan” is among the meatier tunes you’ll find in this set of six, but let’s be real here – it’s actually the shorter length of the first two tracks on Exceptional Chaos that were more unexpected than finding a song that nearly hits the double-digit mark, am I right? Length doesn’t have to be one of the defining characteristics of Jazz music, but it often is – and what I tend to enjoy about the cases that are, is that you know you’re likely in for one of those roundtable sessions where every player gets their own moment in the spotlight to do their thang for a significant length of time. Like, in the middle of this tune for example, you get a highlight saxophone solo from Ryan – but that’ll hardly be ALL you get in a track like this…you’ll find a solid synth solo lurking just around the corner from there, and so on & so on – like I was tellin’ ya, everyone gets a slice of the pie when it comes to songs of this length. Sure there are key elements that serve to keep the core of the melody or theme intact, but they’re just as cool to listen to, because in tracks of this size you get to spend real time getting to know them and how they serve the song. Like the main keyboard rhythm for example – listen to how it is able to provide the anchor for timing as Ryan and his band shift into the seventh minute, and all of a sudden, D’angelo is able to stretch out for a solo as a result. Ultimately it’s crucial to have players like this that understand the mission and can keep the ship on a steady course – that way when you get someone wandering out to the furthest reaches of the fringe of the song, they know they can reliably find their way back as seamlessly as you’ll find they do on “Escape Plan.” I dunno…I mean, I get that Jazz is a little famous for not exactly being for everyone, but the reasons as to WHY that is always seem to elude me. If you’re a fan of real instrumentation and adventurism…uniqueness and art – shouldn’t you naturally LOVE Jazz practically by default? Hearing players as extraordinary as these dudes are simply makes it easier for us to dig on, in my opinion. I could listen to a track like “Escape Plan” all damn day and I’d never think to complain, and that’s a good thing…for most folks, a nearly ten-minute long track can feel like a full day’s worth of time, but for Jazz players and its fans, we’ve all come to embrace longer songs.
That being said, perhaps the easiest way to find the bridge between Jazz and the masses, is to simply shorten things up in favor of creating something the average everyday listener can potentially hang with. Tracks like “Like-Minded Tyrant Part 2” and “Innerspace Outerference” should go a long way when it comes to pulling a few more folks onboard to have a listen, given their shorten length. What I love about great Jazz music like this, is that you don’t feel like Ryan and his crew had to sacrifice their style or compromise their integrity in order to find something that works inside a smaller timeframe. A track like “Innerspace Outerference” is so fully loaded with personality and exquisite instrumentation that it should blow your freakin’ mind if you’re really paying attention! Even if you were to have this playing in the background though, I can guarantee you’d find a whole bunch of people within earshot nodding their heads and tappin’ those toes of theirs, whether or not they regularly listen to the genre. Tracks like “Innerspace Outerference” are stellar examples of how to reach people that are outside the scope of Jazz’s reach, or on the fence about it. You hear the JOY of exploration and musicianship combined in moments like this, and you can’t help but let that energy make the impact on you that’s been intended – you wanna dance, you wanna move…YOU feel the music, because THEY feel the music. Like spiritual guides, they’re able to take us with them into their world through songs like “Innerspace Outerference” and you’ll just wanna LIVE there based on the spectacular sound of what you’ll find. Like, how about that solo from Troy Conn on the guitar as you slide through the third minute of this tune? Perfection! All-in-all though, I feel like this is a track that really can’t lose no matter which angle you examine it from – the level of charm, appeal, and accessibility in this song makes it a perfect candidate to be the single that leads people in to have a listen to the rest. Truly, it’s tracks like “Innerspace Outerference” that have the potential to change people’s opinion about Jazz for the better, and make them lifelong fans.
“Destination Unknown” is a bit sleepier than the rest by comparison I suppose, but I’d argue it’s no less adventurous when it comes right down to it, and certainly just as sensationally well-played. Is it all-out CHAOTIC? No. Still no. I might even be inclined to argue that there’s not an ounce of chaos to be found on this record…it’s actually built on expert levels of controlled musicianship by players that genuinely know their instruments inside & out. So…while I don’t know that I can advocate on behalf of the record’s title…I mean…that’s not really MY fault is it? Blame Ryan & his friends for being so damn good! I’m just here to call things as I hear’em y’all. I’d also be the first to tell ya that I like the name of the EP and I don’t always feel like a title has to truly dictate what the music might be about, even if it can be nice to have the guidance when it does. Tracks like “Destination Unknown” end up drawing largely on their ability to create stories through sound and take you on a sonic journey. At first, you might even feel like “Destination Unknown” is a little more straightforward or comparable to songs you’ve heard in Jazz before, but as they continue to delve into this exploratory tune, the more you’ll get out of it as a listener. From the multiple twists & turns it has, to the impeccable way they’re able to stop & start in such a wonderfully unified way, the chops are certainly on display here once again, even if this particular track might not possess the same kind of spirited energy you feel like you found in the past three songs. They continue to keep things interesting to our ears, and in my opinion, “Destination Unknown” stays true to that standard. Like, listen to that spot around the 3:40 mark for example…you can hear the drama, intensity, and inspiration spring vibrantly to life, and it carries the song to another flawless finale.
Love the bass and the robust definition in the low-end vibes of the last track, called “To The Center Of The Galaxy.” Overall, I definitely feel like this whole record is a true case of ‘if you like one song, you’ll like’em all’ type thang…I mean, really – what’s not to love about Exceptional Chaos? The saxophone work on “To The Center Of The Galaxy” would be worth the full price of admission on its own if you ask me, and clearly I’ve pointed out several other kickass reasons to tune in on the journey to get here! The bass-lines from Saranich are phenomenal…and Conn will LIGHT THIS MOTHER UP towards the end as well, with what I think we have to acknowledge is his most significantly substantial contribution to the record so far, and a pure delight to listen to. Whether it’s his technique or his tone, one way or the other, Troy’s gonna earn your attention on this last cut, and he certainly deserves it with such a righteously awesome solo. Right from the get-go though, I think you gotta love how a track like “To The Center Of The Galaxy” sets you up for an otherworldly adventure, and the proceeds to deliver with each part added into the mix as it plays on. I still might be tempted to say that this last track is probably geared more towards the real fans of Jazz and Progressive tunes than the more accessible cuts like “Innerspace Outerference” and “Like-Minded Tyrant Part 2” – but…as I’ve already mentioned, I really do think that if you dig the way that Ryan and his band play, you’ve got a great chance of simply loving everything you’ll find on this entire record. From sensational instrumentation, to spellbinding sound, to inspiringly spirited ideas & proudly experimental explorations – Exceptional Chaos is well worth every second you’ll spend listening to it, and then some.
Find out more about Ryan Saranich from his official website at: http://www.ryansaranich.com
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