Published on Mar 20, 2001
If you’ve never heard of the Chapman Stick, you’ve missed out on
something special in the world of music. A unique-looking item, you
press on the strings instead of plucking them, allowing you to play
the instrument like a piano instead of a guitar. The Stick allows
you two-handed access, meaning you can play treble and bass lines
at the same time. Tony Levin is one of the best-known performers
who uses the Stick; I’ve seen John Myung of Dream Theater play one
in concert. I’ve even had the chance to try one out myself, though
I admit I looked at the instrument like a monkey trying to do a
math problem.
Greg Howard is called one of the instrument’s best players, and
has several albums’ worth of Stick-related music out.
Lift, the latest from the Greg Howard Band, has a few
moments of greatness, but otherwise comes off sounding like Dave
Matthews Band trying to play smooth jazz.
Admittedly, the sound of this group is one you have to get used
to; the “guitar player” you think you hear is actually Howard on
the Stick. Yet Howard isn’t the person who remains in the spotlight
throughout this disc; his bandmates – drummer/percussionist Jan
Wolfkamp, saxophonist/violinist Hubert Heeringa, and bassist Jan
van Olffen – take their time in front of the band, as does guest
saxophonist Louis Gerrits.
This might actually be the problem with
Lift. It’s not that these musicians aren’t talented; rather,
it’s that the Stick becomes part of the rhythmic backbone, not the
centerpiece of the disc as I would have expected. Add into this mix
a strange eclectic mix of jazz and pseudo new-age, and the
resulting disc is less than satisfying.
Oh, it isn’t that the band doesn’t try. But songs like
“Dissent,” “Still Water” and ‘Cross Country” lack any real spark
that would make the listener feel as if they were a part of
something special. Instead, the performances sound rote, and the
result is a tad boring.
Not all of the music on
Lift falls into this trap. The disc’s closer, “Experimental
Sunrise,” sounds as if it’s three songs welded together – and it’s
an effect that works well, the tempo and stylistic changes becoming
like a breath of fresh air when the listener needs it most. The
album wouldn’t have worked if all the songs were like this, but
this particular example works well. Some of the shorter songs, like
“Restless” and “Nord,” also seem to sound revitalized, as if the
band was trying to make their statement in an abbreviated length of
time.
Lift could have been a great CD, with more controlled
songwriting and more of an emphasis on the Stick. As it is now,
it’s a bit listless and droning, with flashes of clarity that show
the listener what this disc could have been. If only
Lift didn’t come crashing down to earth as it has.