Seis De Mayo

Trey Anastasio | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 6, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B0001HAIKE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,410 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Trey Anastasio has built a career of extraordinary stylistic scope as the singer and guitarist of Phish and as a solo artist of wide horizons. Now Trey shows yet another side with Seis de Mayo, an album of instrumental pieces. Anastasio has been writing in this vein throughout and even before his career with Phish. That will likely come as no surprise to hardcore fans who know that a number of band favorites were composed pieces that the other members learned from Anastasio via stacks of notated staff paper. Trey imagined that he might someday compile an album of these pieces as performed by the sorts of ensembles - string quartets, brass quintets, small and full orchestras he’d originally had in mind when he composed them. Seis de Mayo is that long-anticipated labor of love.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars May Surprise Those Not Familar With Anastasio, April 10, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Seis De Mayo (Audio CD)

I am a Phish fan and Trey's compositional style is as much a reason why I like Phish's music as is their jamming. So, with that in mind, this album is right up my alley. This is more of a classical album than a rock album. Almost entirely acoustic and most tracks don't even include Trey. People will no doubt whine about how short the album is (not even a half hour long), but it is beautiful from start to finish and is about quality over quantity. There is not one weak track. There are only two tunes that won't sound familiar to Phish fans and they are the first track, Andre The Giant, and the fifth track, Coming To. Both are very cool though. The rest of tunes are arrangements of Phish songs (or parts of Phish songs).

1 . Andre The Giant: probably the most rock-based arrangement on the album. A very happy tune that is primarily just a Trey acoustic tune. Phish's Mike Gordon plays bass on this track and it is really given its flavor with the addition of the balafon and djembe.

2. Prologue: Phish fans will immediately recognize this as the intro to Pebbles & Marbles, although it was originally conceived independently of that piece. This is a beautiful arrangement that sort of reminds me of the Eleanor Rigby track from Anthology that is just the orchestration without the actual Beatles parts. This track does not have Trey playing on it.

3. The Inlaw Josie Wales: This is the track Phish fans know as it is very similar to the version on Phish's Farmhouse, but with the addition of a string quartet. It is very nice, but the string quartet on this track is definitely in the background. This is a Trey solo acoustic tune.

4. All Things Reconsidered: This is another tune Phish fans know, but this time it is just the Ying Quartet (no Trey). It is a very nice way to hear this tune. It is much more dramatic than the Phish version.

5. Coming To: This track is probably the most abstract on the album. It starts with a nice Jon Fishman (Phish's drummer) drum part. Trey does not play on this track either. I really like this tune and hope it is incorporated into something we will here from Phish.

6. Discern (Intro): I always thought this was the only part of this tune worth holding onto (from the Phish version) and it is short, but beautifully done here by the Trey Anastasio Band horn section (no Trey).

7. Guyute: I don't know how anyone can claim that this isn't Trey's most fully-realized composition after hearing it in this context. This was orginally performed (in this orchestrated version) by the Vermont Youth Orchestra a few years ago. The orchestrated version of Guyute starts with the intro to Phish's My Friend, My Friend merging with Guyute proper after where the verse section (of Guyute) ends in the rock version. The VYO version is nice (and if you didn't like that you won't like this, or the whole album for that matter), but this really shines in the hands of a more capable orchestra.

So, all in all, Trey only plays on two of the seven tracks, but you won't miss him. This is about Trey as a composer and it is a treat in my opinion. This album really illustrates (for me at least) why Phish is more than the typical jam band.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Base hit for Anastasio., April 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Seis De Mayo (Audio CD)

"Seis De Mayo" is a showcase for the eleven-plus-minute orchestral "Guyute" that closes the album. It is a true classical piece, albeit a little heavy-handed and dramatic. If Speilberg ever made a movie about the death of a hippy in a Phish parking lot, the orchestral Guyute would be his obvious score. The rest of the album, however, is not as great a leap into instrumental composition as I expected. Clocking in at under 29 minutes total, the album is random and generally unexciting. The album's stronger tracks include "The Inlaw Josie Wales" and "Discern (Intro)". "Inlaw" features Trey with a string quartet, but the guitar work is almost exactly what we've all heard before--now with some dissonant string work in the background. "Discern" demonstrates that writing horn sections is Trey's strongest suit outside the guitar. I doubt Trey would deny that this is a self-indulgent project, but I commend him for sharing his musical experiments so openly, certainly his critics would say too openly. For those of us who admire him, this album shows a new dimension--one I hope we see more of, but perhaps eventually it will be a little more polished. No way will this album stay in my rotation for too long, but anyone who doubts that Trey Anastasio is one of the most prolific and versatile songwriters alive, will be silenced by this album.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Symphonic Trey, September 20, 2008

By 

The Delite Rancher (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Seis De Mayo (Audio CD)

Since the reviews about "Seis de Mayo" have been so mixed, I want to put in my two cents. The album features a balance of Phish songs and new compositions. It's really a beautiful listen, but I think that expectations have a strong influence in how "Seis de Mayo" is appreciated. This is orchestral music. This isn't orchestral music in the sense that much of Trey's post-Phish rock has featured light philharmonic brush strokes. This material is 100% symphonic and instrumental. The release kicks things off with 'Andre the Giant.' The West African balafon makes it clear that this will not be a square classical album. Some of the Phish songs on "Seis de Mayo" capitalize on the rich symphonic potential that had always been in the material. For example, the album version of 'Pebbles and Marbles' featured an introduction that always had an orchestral sensibility. Entitled 'Prologue,' the piece lends itself well to this environment. 'The Inlaw Josie Wales' is given a delicate touch as Trey plays with the Ying String Quartet. While most of the interpretations are smooth, 'All Things Reconsidered' introduces an avant-garde element. 'Coming To' features Trey's favorite trumpet player, Jennifer Harswick. Regardless, it is one of the weaker songs. "Seis de Mayo" is heavy on the strings. All too short, 'Discern' is one of the few pieces to employ a brass section. 'Guyute' is the stunning highlight. The performance expresses the rich orchestral potential that had always been in a song of such complexity. As exciting and well performed as it is, the song is redundant given that phans already had access to a symphonic 'Guyute' as played by the Vermont Youth Orchestra on "Sharin' in the Groove.' In the end, I believe that it's important to enjoy "Seis de Mayo" for what it is; it's all too easy to ruin such an enjoyable listen by over-intellectualizing. Had Trey released a disc of all new philharmonic material, many fans probably would have rejected it as inaccessible and uninteresting. By including Phish material, this has been criticized as self-indulgent and hackneyed. It is a tribute to Trey's talent and risk-taking to step so far out of his element and arrange music of this caliber. Given the half an hour length, one clear drawback to this is the price. Like "The Lucius Beebe" and "18 Steps," this should be thought of as an EP rather than a full-length LP. The retail cost makes this overpriced, but at the time of review, a handful of used copies could be had for less than $5.00. If you like Trey and instrumental orchestral music, buy "Seis de Mayo" and you enjoy yourself.