Romance With The Unseen

Don Byron | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 21, 1999)
• Original Release Date: September 21, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00001IVL6
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,683 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On Romance with the Unseen, his seventh outing as a leader, clarinetist Don Byron has recruited guitarist Bill Frisell, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and bassist Drew Gress for a session refreshingly different from his more recent previous efforts. On albums such as Bug Music (early swing), Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz (klezmer), and Nu Blaxploitation (funk), Byron presented listeners with both a theme and music illustrating the theme's thesis. On Romance the theme is Don Byron and the message is that he owns the clarinet. Throughout this recording, Byron's range, tone, and precision are nothing short of jaw dropping. Factor in DeJohnette's restrained drumming and Frisell's tasteful, everywhere-at-once guitar and you have the makings of a tight, hot, and remarkably coherent modern jazz album. While Byron's playing is certainly the album's highlight, the dialogue between Byron and Frisell is nothing short of remarkable. Whether breaking a melody into microtones, swapping runs, or playing right on top of each other, it's as if they're mind reading. Frisell is all over this gig, playing backward, forward, chords, solos, or comps or generating shimmering tone washes, all designed, it seems, to push Byron. Scrappy as always, Byron responds to the challenge by blowing pure, gorgeous jazz. Recommended. --S. Duda

Product Description

Romance With The Unseen

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended!, September 22, 1999

By 

Ronald Lyles "relyles" (West Hartford, CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Romance With The Unseen (Audio CD)

Each of Don Byron's projects that I have heard are different while at the same time very similar. They are different in that each explores different contexts for improvisation e.g. latin, or swing. They are all similar in that they each extend upon the jazz tradition as opposed to just restating what has already been said. Romance With the Unseen is no exception. The cd challenges and rewards the listener who makes the attempt to hear what is going on. It is also a very accessible cd and a good place to start for those who have never heard Don Byron before. I have owned the cd for less than twenty four hours, but I have already listened to it several times. Each time reveals something new that I did not notice previously. The interaction between the four musicians is exceptional and Don Byron proves once again that he is the most original clarinet player on the scene today. I admit to being a big fan of Don Byron since hearing him on Ralph Peterson's "Presents the Fo'Tet", but that in no way prejudiced my opinion of the cd. I highly recommend this cd to anyone interested in high quality musicianship combined with an extension of the boundaries of the genre.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much more like it, May 22, 2000

By 

George Grella "Urbane citizen" (Brooklyn) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Romance With The Unseen (Audio CD)

This is probably Byron's best record to date, and is incredibly refreshing after his argumentative failure of "Bug Music" and the trying-much-too-hard "Nu Blaxploitation." Here, it's simply Byron playing the clarinet, and what a player he is. A sweet, sweet tone, still full in the higher registers which he seems to prefer and a fluid, personal style which brings perhaps the most traditional jazz instrument into these times.

There is a wonderful tinge of the bittersweet, an enigmatic quality of expression to this album, which is a considerable addition of depth to Byron's work. Mainly, it's because he's playing and expressing himself as a musician, through music, not by trying to make a political/historical point with music. Like all the best jazz musicians, he hints at greater emotion below the surface, yet leaves an ambiguity that draws the listeners attention.

I have to hold off the last star because the material is good, but not great. "Homecoming" is magnificent, but "One Finger Snap" takes a while to focus and some of the other originals are slightly thin. DeJohnette is an interesting addition to the group, and while he doesn't always fit in perfectly, his voice certainly pushes Byron and Frisell into sustained, clear expression. And Byron's playing is simply wonderful to listen to. This CD gets better with every play.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Clear Vision, March 5, 2000

By 

Rick Mathis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Romance With The Unseen (Audio CD)

It is truly a pleasure when one comes across an artist, especially one of Don Byron's age, who has a true vision of his art. So many young muscicians, either due to lack of a clear direction or because of economic conciderations, seem to rehash the same music that we have heard for the past fifty years. Not so with Don Byron. He has taken an instrument, which other than a few notable exceptions, has not seen the light of day in modern jazz and has turned it into a mode of expression which is mind-boggling. His command of his instrument, the clarinet, allows him the ability to take either new material or old and shape it into something that is uniquely his own. This album, which also features the phenominal Bill Frisell on guitar, was obviously a joy for him to make. Byron and Frisell have met on each others albums several times in the last few years and it shows. Their familiarity with each other allows for some wonderful interaction. Drew Gress on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums rounds out this group. If you, as I do, love to hear creative musicians at the height of their art, then I highly recommend this cd.