Label: Edition Records, 2024
Personnel - Mark Guiliana: drums, cymbals, percussion, piano, vibraphone, marimba, celeste, pump organ, mellotron, jupiter 8, electronics, drum programming, spoken word
MARK is the latest solo effort by world-class drummer Mark Guiliana, who, influenced by electronic music and other non-jazz styles, showcases not only his dazzling rhythmic prowess but also his remarkable harmonic and melodic explorations. The arrangements are exceptional, inviting us to unpredictable and emotional places described with impressive clarity.
“Just Listen” makes for a killer opening, designed with vast propulsive stimuli that flow with irresistible elan. “Hero Soup” features bass pedal-pointed vistas holding down the bottom line, occasional beat displacement, terse and nervy guitar-like contours, and a resonant hip-hop trap rhythm. This arrangement is prime Guiliana, with elegant flourishes highlighting the accomplishment.
Defying conventions, “Question Mark” generates a peculiar thrust in support of the lingering harmonies that emerge atop. Also, “Kamakura” exhibits solid harmonic conduction with keyboards emulating strings, a firm pulsation, and synth-pop melodies suspended above.
“Introspection Station” is architecturally intriguing with marimba parallelism, a simple pulse pocket, and a momentary bass synth underpinning that springs up before its cyclic finale. “Costello”, a love letter to Guiliana’s mother’s side of the family, is a delightfully brushed 3/4 number with a gorgeous, positive emotion-induced melody. Both “Alone” and “Peace, please” are reflective expressions of Guiliana’s sensitivity — the former takes you to a downhearted journey into the heart of solitude, cradling our ears in the final moments with a doorway to hope, while the latter is a tearful, hair-raising rubato meditation with piano at the center; so powerful in its crescent shape.
Conjuring a panoply of grooves and rhythms, often adapted to appropriate harmonic contexts, MARK is a statement of individuality and freedom, solidifying Guiliana's status as a forward-thinking musician.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Just Listen ► 03 - Hero Soup ► 10 - Peace, please