Kenosha Kid, Missing Pieces Review

Jazz

Kenosha Kid, Missing Pieces Review

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Kenosha Kid is an Athens, Georgia based jazz fusion band lead by guitarist and composer Dan Nettles. Named after an ambiguous figure in Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, Nettles started Kenosha Kid in 2004 and has since created a catalog of creative music. With a cast of rotating musicians, Nettles music explores the instrumental possibilities of: jazz, jam, psych, funk and rock. Nettles’ compositions are melodic and organically unfold through clear forms and solid sounds.  Kenosha Kid is releasing their sixth studio album titled, Missing Pieces. This album again marks a shift in instrumentation, with a lineup of a two-guitar quartet, augmented by strings. The previous two albums, Inside Voices (2015) and Outside Choices (2017) presented Kenosha Kid as a sextet with three horns. The band line up for Missing Pieces is: Dan Nettles: guitar, Rick Lollar: guitar, electric bassist Robby Handley and drummer Marlon Patton. The strings are: Luca Lombardi, Serena Scibelli and Andrea DeMarcus with Carl Lindberg and Julián Muro adding voices on “08 Missing Pieces.” The group is presenting ten tracks on Missing Pieces, with each track offering a distinct sonic and emotional universe brought into focus by a band that listens as hard as they play.

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Positives:

Creative compositional and orchestration sounds and colors are throughout Missing Pieces. The two guitars work very nicely together and the stings act as a sonic bridge that both supports and augments the sound of the guitar.

Bottom Line:

Missing Pieces is a creative collection of tunes from the mind of guitarist Dan Nettles that he brings to life with his bandmates under the heading of Kenosha Kid. The musical styles contained on the ten tracks are vast. There are multiple tracks that play as progressing soundscapes based on a single theme. “01 Always Will Be” is set to a rock feel, that finds both guitarists providing interesting textures both harmonically and linearly. The guitar solos spin out with rock sensibilities. Handley’s bass tone is excellent on this track as is Patton’s buoyant rhythmic drive. “03 Another Hour” has interesting transitions from various feels and metric modulations, again Patton is inspired. “04 How Would It All Fit” is a fine example of the possibilities of four string and two guitars. The track has a wonderful building arch that is created by both Patton and Handley, but more importantly, the sustained harmonic support of the strings. “07 Simpler” has a country overtone with a compound time signature and interesting guitar colors from both guitarists. Overall, Kenosha Kid brings a collection of sounds that are imaginative and push the boundaries of rock instrumental music. Nettles has a solid band and a compositional style that is more about thematic development and less about improvisational prowess. That makes for a satisfying listen in the land of rock instrumental music. That’s the short of it!

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