NYC & Hudson Valley-based Quartet Fuses Dub, Jazz, Raga, Ambient & Psychedelia in First Release
Artist: Spaghetti Eastern Electro Dub
Title: Live at Green Kill Sessions
Label: self-produced
Genre: indie rock/psychedelic/progressive rock
The Members:
Sal Cataldi: guitar, loops, EFX
Dawoud “The Renegade Sufi” Kringle: Dataur, EFX
Tom “Spontaneous” Semioli: bass
Dick Drazen: drums
Recorded live at Green Kill Art Gallery (Kingston, New York) on December 13, 2024.
Stream and buy here:
Bandcamp: https://spaghettieasternmusic.bandcamp.com/album/electro-dub-live-at-green-kill-sessions
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1pfdVwnSN7W46pdZwu4DZ8
Review by David Belmont
The press release announcing the launch of this delightful sonic journey describes
this quartet’s music is a unique fusion of Jamaican dub, Indian raga, psychedelia,
Krautrock, and modal jazz.”
As a guitarist who played in a jam band before the genre’s name was coined (Charley Quasar, NYC, 1971-75), I hear earlier classic influences.
Specifically, early 70s Jerry Garcia, late 60s Country Joe & the Fish (Barry Melton, David Cohen), Jimi Hendrix, and Michael Bloomfield in the East-West period of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band was arguably the first jam band ever. These influences may be intentional or subconscious, but they are beautiful and evocative.
The four musicians, who comprise Spaghetti Eastern Electro Dub, weave an auditory tapestry with textures, riffs, and harmonies floating in an ambient sea created by various EFX pedals and drones. Each contributes mightily to the lush ensemble sound.
Bassist Tom “Spontaneous” Semioli anchors the proceedings with a variety of dub-style
grooves, mainly around a solid tonal center, occasionally throwing in additional chordal colors
or melodic fills to spice things up. His nombre de musica recalls “spontaneous composition,” one of the hallmarks of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, avant music’s greatest jam band, IMO. To me, that’s what jamming is. Collectively writing the piece via deep listening and precise, responsive musical inputs.
Dirk Drazen plays his drums with the light touch of a fine jazz drummer. Early Jack DeJohnette
comes to mind. His taste and sensitive colorations inject a brightness to the swirling psychedelia. His playing draws from jazz, funk, and progressive rock. It is always solid, even when he seems to be searching for where to take the groove next.
Atop this rhythm section are two quite mind-bending string players (both fellow members of
the musicians’ rights organization/community Musicians for Musicians), bandleader and guitarist Sal Cataldi, and Dawoud “The Renegade Sufi” Kringle, who plays the Dautar, an
instrument of his design that he describes as “the love child of guitar, sitar, and cello.”
It is in Cataldi’s playing that I hear morphed traces of Garcia, the Country Joe guitarists, and
Mike Bloomfield. It made me smile every time I heard flashes of any of those classic textures. He injects a strong musical personality, sometimes leading and supporting the evolving composition. Cataldi keeps things tasteful throughout it all, avoiding the excesses we often hear from fusion guitarists.
Kringle caresses his Dataur, sometimes with a bow, other times with his fingers or a pick, creating sounds described as “Hans Zimmer and Jimi Hendrix fighting over a beautiful princess from another galaxy.” It’s a great combination! And I think Jimi got the girl.
This collection is subdivided into five selections (plus a bonus track radio edit) with expressive
titles like “Kilimangaro” and “Blue Mountain Peak.” But to me, it is an almost 43-minute journey with various aspects. I strongly recommend you pick up the CD (or go to Bandcamp or Spotify) and take the ride. It’s well worth the trip.
