"In the fall of 2003, Dean De Benedictis, former keyboardist for Brand X yet better known for his electronic music as alias Surface 10, contacted fellow recording artists Giuseppe Patane (from rock band Maata Haari), Andrea "Jako" Giacomini (from rock band Socadia), and Takeshi Nishimoto (from progressive jazz duo I'm Not A Gun) to start a project. The intention of this project was to keep all of their chops up, while at the same time keep their sense of musical roots in tact as well. The result was an LA-based, improvisational-jazz ensemble yielding an alternative/progressive sound tenuously compared to that of Tortoise, Pat Metheny, Ozric Tentacles, and ECM jazz artists from the 70's and 80's. Fateless Music Records has compiled the ensemble's best jam sessions as a CDR release for 2007 called 'Drawn Straws.'" © 2013 Wayside Music http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Strato-Ensemble---Drawn-Straws-(artist-released-CDR)__STRATO01.aspx
- Vancouver, British Columbia - The Strato Ensemble was formed in 2003 by keyboardist Dean De Benedictis, who approached fellow recording artists Andrea "Jako" Giacomini (drums), Takeshi Nishimoto (guitar), and Giuseppe Patane (bass) about collaborating together and recording some music. The fruit of this project is an album of entirely improvised modern fusion jazz songs. Their jam sessions were recorded and the best material was put onto the album, Drawn Straws, which was released in 2007. It was an experiment in mixing the old with the new; incorporating modern synthesizers and guitar while enjoying the freedom of improvised classic jazz. The end result is mind-blowing. It's now a treasured album in my collection that I hold very dear as it continues to challenge me and excite me, while also taking me back a few years to a very crucial time in my life. Drawn Straws begins with "Empowering Gamesake," which is alone worth the price of the album. Not only is the song amazing, but it is also noteworthy because of its extremely long run time. At over 24 minutes, it should run the risk of getting boring, but does not. The song never really sits still and flows flawlessly from one movement to the next. It is still clearly improvised because you can hear imperfections in the timing at certain moments. Also, there is a certain spontaneity to the song that I think couldn't actually be written. Improvised music just has that sort of unpredictable sound to it that's hard to capture on paper. "Thou Dire Lull" is a quick intermission between that track and the next epically long one. And by quick I mean it's 4 minutes on the dot. While longer than a lot of pop songs, it flies by. The song is quite calm and relaxing, borrowing heavily from lounge jazz, while still being distinctly modern. Unlike the first track, "The Motion of You" doesn't go through too many movements in its 18-minute run time. This one seems to just slowly build from a quiet minimalist introduction into a decently heavy percussion and saxophone sparring session (The saxophone was overdubbed later by Jim Goetch, but was similarly improvised. He did the same thing on a later track, “On Thundering Sky Larkers Likeness”). Though it never reaches a definite climax, the song does go through a compelling journey. The album jumps a bit from the Jazz aspect, while not abandoning it entirely, and dives into some ambient songs. Apparently the two styles mix together very well. "Trenches" proves to be one of the most subdued tracks. It brings a welcome calm after the lengthy first half of the album. Actually, the whole mid section of the album (tracks 4 through 7) is full of the shorter, calm ambient jazz songs. It's actually quite nice as they usually stick to more simple musical concepts. The charm is in the subtleties. Out of these, "Galaxing" is the masterpiece. The electronic skeleton of the song is magnificent and it takes some great turns near the end. The jazz aspect takes the lead again in "On Thundering Sky Larkers Likeness." At 9 and a half minutes long, it fits well with the earlier half of the album in both length and style. It feels the most improvised as it often tends to wander, but never strays far away from the core body of the song. There are some really amazing moments captured in here though. The album finishes with "Higher Loosing," which very much feels like a closing track. It is essentially some loose guitar improv along side a cool synth loop. The song is most rewarding on headphones, but works well in any setting calling for quiet music. Really, it is not bad considering I found the album completely by fluke as I was browsing through CDBaby.com (The cover art caught my eye). This is likely the single best purchase I made from there. I can't express my love enough for this album. It achieves so much and does so seemingly effortlessly. It's a true testament to the musicians as they literally create these amazing pieces of music from their own collective creativity. I have found no promises for a follow up album from the band so this might be a stand alone release, however, Dean De Benedictis has a whole collection of solo material and the other musicians are attached to other independent bands. Drawn Straws serves as an auditory snapshot of their musical journey in that point of time and celebrates the beauty in spontaneity from professionals who love their craft. It's the kind of music that is so under appreciated these days, but it just bursting with creativity and ingenuity. Rating: 5/5 Sour Grapes © DF FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011 | © DOUG FERGUSON © 2010-2012, Dumple Meadows Publishing/Joel Bain. All rights reserved. http://www.sourgrapeswinery.com/music/2011/5/6/the-strato-ensemble-drawn-straws.html
A great instrumental album reminiscent of retro/70’s style electronic music, with a touch of jazz and some great melodies but still very original and progressive music. If you blend the sound of the Necks, Kraftwerk, and Ulrich Schnauss you may get some idea of the type of music this is, but probably not! (lol) That is like trying to define “humour”! Some promotional material explains that this album is "a project based on the principal of liberation through improvisational flow. Rather than take that same atonal, sparsely-punctuated path into experimental jazz, so thoroughly explored and exploited through the generations, we decided to indulge our genuine interest in a modal, melodic-ambient approach, so as to allow for extra-aesthetic qualities such as mood, expanse, and build". Now that’s the kind of analysis that could possibly deter many people from listening to any type of music. It’s easier to listen to this kind of music than to analyse it. It’s really superb listening and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Check out guitarist Takeshi Nishimoto and keyboardist Dean De Benedictis’ music on the web. Expand your musical horizons and support real music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 184 Mb]
TRACKS / COMPOSERS
1. Empowering Gamesake - Andrea Giacomini, Dean de Benedictis, Giuseppe Patanè, Takeshi Nishimoto 24:05
2. Thou Dire Lull - Andrea Giacomini, Dean de Benedictis 4:00
3. The Motion Of You - Andrea Giacomini, Dean de Benedictis, Giuseppe Patanè, Takeshi Nishimoto 17:47
4. Trenches - Andrea Giacomini, Dean de Benedictis 4:12
5. Finding 7.4 Corners - Dean de Benedictis, Mick Stevens, Takeshi Nishimoto 3:28
6. Galaxing - Andrea Giacomini, Dean de Benedictis 4:35
7. A Thorough Season - Andrea Giacomini, Dean de Benedictis, Giuseppe Patanè, Takeshi Nishimoto 4:11
8. A Thundering Sky Larkers Likeness - Andrea Giacomini, Dean de Benedictis, Giuseppe Patanè, Takeshi Nishimoto 9:31
9. Higher Loosing - Dean de Benedictis, Takeshi Nishimoto 7:56
MUSICIANS
Takeshi Nishimoto - Guitar
Giuseppe Patane - Bass
Dean De Benedictis - Keyboards
Andrea "Jako" Giacomini - Drums, Glitch Pads
ALBUM NOTES
THE STRATO ENSEMBLE: In the fall of 2003, Dean De Benedictis, a former keyboardist for Brand X yet better known for his electronic music as alias Surface 10, contacted fellow recording artists Giuseppe Patane (bass player from rock band Maata Haari), Andrea "Jako" Giacomini (drum player from rock band Socadia), and Takeshi Nishimoto (guitar player from progressive jazz duo I'm Not A Gun) to start a project. The intention of this project was to keep their chops up and keep their sense of progressive-jazz roots in tact. The result was an LA-based, improvisational-jazz ensemble yielding an alternative/progressive sound tenuously compared to that of Tortoise, Pat Metheny, Ozric Tentacles, and ECM jazz artists from the 70's and 80's. Fateless Music Records has compiled the ensemble's best jam sessions as a CDR release for 2007 called "Drawn Straws." www.fatelessmusic.com/audio13-.htm For more audio downloads of unreleased Strato Ensemble material, visit: www.myspace.com/thestratoensemble THE STRATO ENSEMBLE IS... Dean De Benedictis - keyboardist, programmer, producer: Andrea "Jako" Giacomini – drummer: Takeshi Nishimoto - guitar player: Giuseppe Patane - bass player: TO THE LISTENER - From late 2003 to late 2004, myself, Dean De Benedictis, along with music colleagues Andrea Giacomini, Takeshi Nishimoto and Giuseppe Patane, banded together to record scattered sessions for a project based on the principal of liberation through improvisational flow. Rather then take the same, atonal, sparsely-punctuated path into experimental jazz, so thoroughly explored and exploited through the generations, we decided to indulge our genuine interest in a modal approach so as to allow for extra-aesthetic qualities such as mood, expanse, and build. Our reflection on The Strato Ensemble was of the position that it is best categorized when seen as having carried on in the tradition of electric jazz musicians who so eloquently explored this modal realm throughout the 70’s and early 80’s (although we still condone such concepts as listener interpretation and progressive-mindedness on the part of the composer). Some of our pieces were marathons of length, edited down a fraction, which also pays a virtually-intended homage to the tradition of this genre, and all the better that it parade how they are indeed pieces as apposed to being seen as songs of any kind. Also, amidst the spirit of experimentation, the ensemble carried out creative impulses that could easily be interpreted by the listener as audio dropouts or blemishes, to which we affirm, with utmost confidence, were ninety-nine percent intentional. We do hope that, regardless of any individual’s possible tastes or preconceptions, the soul of the ensemble’s unrefined intentions communicates outwardly, clearly and gracefully. © Dean De Benedictis from & © http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stratoensemble
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