Fragments is a banquet of music that really doesn’t sit in any genre. There really is such variety, and after a few listens I love it all. There are Fragments of many things, with possibly an overarch of jazz. That said, Messieurs Blundell, Beggs and Holtzman, have produced something that is highly infectious, a Trifecta variant if you will. You also find that you want to strut your stuff; there are few words, but the way in which this trio work together, the absence of lyrics isn’t a loss.
There is nothing long here, but you will detect, I think, obvious progressive rock musical memes. I love the titles for the tracks as well, a sense of humour pervades through each and, combined with some very interesting aural adventures, cannot help but make you smile. If you have no love of jazz, contemporary jazz and experimental music, walk away and lose an experience that no right-minded music lovers should miss. (Nick Beggs and right minded? Are you serious?).
The longest track here, at a little over four minutes, is Pavlov’s Dog killed Schrodinger’s Cat. A marvellous title, and a fun video. Throughout there are various keyboard passages you could attribute to many a fine progressive rock keyboard player, as Mr Holtzman appears to visit his favourites.
The blurb that accompanied the album says that these all stem from the jams and noodlings our three protagonists created post-concert. No post-concert time wasting as, if you look to the flesh on the bones of each track, there is nothing left for the stock pot.
I find it difficult to analyse track by track as it is all good to my ears. Pavlov’s Dog is my most played, but that is more to do with the earworm and the biologist in me liking the suppression of the physicist. Behavioural science beats theoretic physics.
From the beginning, with Clean Up On Aisle Five, to the last notes of Lie 2 Me and Take My Money, the sense of fun and enjoyment is infectious; three guys chilling after a concert and still having fun. My first thought was a jazz album, but it is so much more than that. The free spirit that jazz portrays is here, but so is pop, prog, the essence of rock, just unbound by convention. It will be in my top ten come year’s end.
TRACK LISTING
01. Clean Up On Aisle Five (3:07)
02. Check Engine Light (2:55)
03. Proto Molecule (2:20)
04. Auntie (2:57)
05. Venn Diagram (2:42)
06. The Enigma of Mr. Fripp (2:44)
07. Sally Doo-Dally (2:54)
08. Have You Seen What The Neighbours Are Doing? (2:58)
09. The Mute Gospel (3:16)
10. Pavlov`s Dog Killed Schrodinger`s Cat (4:12)
11. Voyage of Discovery (3:02)
12. Nightmare in Shining Armor (2:00)
13. Dry Martini (3:13)
14. Lie 2 Me and Take My Money (3:13)
15. Hold It Like That (3:28)
MUSICIANS
Nick Beggs – Bassist
Adam Holzman – Keyboards
Craig Blundell – Drums
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label:
Country of Origin: U.K./U.S.A.
Date of Release: 20th August 2021
LINKS
Trifecta – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp