Guitarist Christy Doran is hard to pin down, working in a broad assortment of styles across his career, from the pioneering band Om, which he co-founded in the Seventies, collaborations with electric bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Yang Jing, who plays pipa and guqin, pianist John Wolf Brennan, drummer Han Bennink, and so many others. His latest project is the aptly named Morpheus Trance. This trio of Doran, electric bassist Wolfgang Zwiauer, and drummer Lukas Mantel has concocted In Trance We Trust, an extremely pleasing blend of groove, improvisation, and concentrated interaction. Sometimes the music is raucous (the title track), sometimes it’s sedate and dreamy (the lovely Starry Sky), but the trio never loses sight of the profound abstraction of trance. Morpheus is usually thought of as the god of sleep, but this mythical figure is also known as the god of dreams. It’s easy to just drift along with the music for 47 minutes, and end up feeling relaxed and refreshed. Then it will be time for another, closer listen to the set. The egalitarian mix allows the listener to focus with ease on different instruments: Doran’s spiky and adaptable guitar, Zwiauer’s melodically flowing bass guitar and Mantel’s minimalist yet propulsive drums. In Trance We Trust is a most enjoyable release, with music that’s worthy of repeated listening.
Double Moon DMCHR 71452; Christy Doran (el g, devices) Wolfgan Zwiauer (el b, devices) Lukas Mantel (d, perc); Bern, Switzerland, 2023; Desert Flow/ BA-rock (duo version)/ In Trance We Trust/ Starry Sky/ Bali Sketches/ Continuum/ Small Round/ La Corrección/ BA-Rock (trio version); 47:09. morpheus-trance.ch
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