Reviewed by David Belmont
Artist: Spaghetti Eastern Music
Title: Two Bass Hit
Format: digital album
Label: self-produced
Genre: psychedelic/progressive/indie Rock
Produced by Sal Cataldi.
Co-produced by Tomaso Semioli.
Live sound by Scott Kent
Recorded live at Green Kill Sessions, Kingston, NY
Remix and mastering by Sal Cataldi at Sonic Garden, Saugerties, NY
Available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and other streaming platforms.
Personnel: Sal Cataldi (guitar, EFX), Tomaso Semioli (electric bass), Jeff Keithline (upright
bass/electronics), Michael Drazen (drums)
Let me begin by saying I’m a Sal Cataldi fan and a fellow member of MFM. After experiencing a wildly energetic set by Spaghetti Eastern Electro Dub, another of Sal’s quartets, at Otto’s Shrunken Head in downtown Manhattan, I’ve been hooked. I find his bands’ sound and improvisational panache fascinating and compelling.
I love the “Spaghetti Eastern” concept. It engenders for me a mix between the best of Ennio
Morricone’s soundscapes and a quasi-Indian approach to melody. Interestingly, neither of
these musical influences rely much on the bass register. Not so with Sal Cataldi! Tom
Semioli, a jazz/rock fusion sound meister par excellence, has been a mainstay in Sal’s
projects for decades.
And in this lineup, Jeff Keithline has been added on acoustic bass, with his playing often
supplemented by various electronic effects. I find the interplay of these two bassists has a
counterintuitive effect on the overall sound of the band. One might think that having this
much activity on the low end would clutter the music. I find that they most often create
more space, leaving interesting sonic territory for Sal’s guitar work and allowing drummer
Michael Drazen’s powerful rhythmic sense to impact with greater intensity.
The use of two bass players, one electric and one acoustic, brings to mind experimentation
led by Miles Davis in the early 1970s, specifically on the albums Bitches Brew and Big Fun.
On these records, Harvey Brooks was the electric player, with the acoustic duties being
handled by either Dave Holland or Ron Carter.
While Two Bass Hit’s dual-bass configuration recalls these classic pairings, the concept
here is different. Where Brooks often supplied the foundation and Holland/Carter the freer
counterpoint, Cataldi’s two bassists explore a more elastic conversation, with Keithline’s
amplified and effected acoustic bass extending the terrain opened up by Semioli’s
foundational electric riffs.
As usual for a Cataldi-led unit, this band produces a wide range of styles and vibes. The
album’s seven compositions range from the driving psychedelic funk of “Foster’s Phunk” to
“Don’t Fear the Weeper,” a modal (and bluesy!) space ballad. The Eastern feel is predominant
on “Going to Goa.” There’s even a taste of reggae in “Augustus Einstein. A luscious sonic
palette!”
Then there’s Sal’s guitar playing. He has been described in the music press as “hav[ing] a
beat unmistakably his own” (New York Times), “delicate…hauntingly moody” (Time Out
New York), “charmingly melodic and off-center” (WFUV’s Mixed Bag), “part Sergio Leone
fever dream, part Ravi Shankar raga, a whirling dervish of musical creation” (Hudson Valley
One). True that! On this recording he navigates the musical terrain with aplomb, sometimes
floating above the rhythmic quilt, other times darting between its layers.
The promotional material for this record lists a veritable potpourri of influences: Miles
Davis (of course), Bill Laswell, Terje Rypdal/Steve Tibbetts, Brian Eno/David Byrne,
Khruangbin. All good.
And I have an addition that I thought to be obvious: Jimi Hendrix. Not just because many of
the EFX pedals used liberally by these musicians were created to allow mortals to
approximate Jimi’s sound, but because the innovative musicality of this unit evokes the
cutting-edge inventiveness and playfulness of Hendrix’ oeuvre.
Two Bass Hit is a must listen. And I can’t wait for Sal’s next release.
