Customer Reviews

Seis De Mayo

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

"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.

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.

Being a huge Trey fan, I'm sorry to report that this CD is highly disappointing. I would describe this music as "pleasant", at best. After two listens, I'm fully bored.

"Seis" deserves some credit since it's neat to hear orchestral versions of Trey/Phish songs (All Things Reconsidered; Guyute). Inlaw Josie Wales is nice, but can be found on Phish's far-superior "Farmhouse".

Additionally, the 29-minute length (!) makes this CD a rip-off at full price.

If you're just dying to hear Trey in this orchestral format, I'd recommend borrowing "Seis" from the library.

I just bought this CD today and I love it! Anastasio is an amazingly versatile musician - you'd never expect soothing, airy orchestral music coming from a rock guitarist, but that's exactly what this CD is.

About half the tunes on this album are new, while the other half are Phish tunes reworked for orchestra. While most orchestral arrangements of rock tunes sound extremely cheesy (or just flat-out stupid), Anastasio has managed to pull this transformation off quite well, probably because he composed and arranged both versions himself. Some tunes (namely "Guyute") even seem to lend themselves to the orchestral format.

For those who are familiar with Anastasio's first solo album, think of "Ray Dawn Balloon" or "At The Gazebo." That's what all the tracks on this album are like.

The only reason why I rated this four stars instead of five is because the album is very short (only about 30 minutes of music). There's only 7 tracks and with the exception of "Guyute", they're all under 4 minutes long. I love all the material on here, but I wish that there was more to listen to.

Other than that, this is a really nice album. If you know Phish, you'll appreciate the orchestral versions of their tunes on here, but you certainly don't need to be familiar with any of those tunes to enjoy this. I wish there were more musicians out there today who did stuff like this :)

I love the concept and its a great album to listen too. The only problem is it is impeccably short and as such is not really worth the price.

I really enjoyed this. Guyute is amazing, especially full orchestra. I am a pretty big Phish fan, and this was very good, seeing as how Trey alone and Trey with Phish have performed some of these songs before, including The Inlaw Josie Wales, Guyute, and All Things Reconsidered. Anyway, a great CD, maybe a little steep price-wise for the amount of songs, but definitely worth it. A 12 minutes Guyute is never bad. :)

This Cd is perfect and if your a phish head then you will deffinatly appreciate it and if your not you will still enjoy this masterpiece.

I was pretty happy with this CD. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because I didn't feel that I got enough music for my money (it's a pretty short disc) but the stuff that's on this CD is great. Transcribing something from rock to orchestral is not easy. It usually ends up sounding corny, and doesn't work for many bands. (Pink Floyd, Yes, and Metallica are the few exceptions.) It almost sounds like Trey had orchestra in mind for these compositions back when he wrote them. Guyute is the best example of this.
Trey Anastasio is very versatile. Of course, if you know about this disc, you probably already know that. But this is just another example of his talent and willingness to try new things. He's definitely the driving creative force behind Phish and his solo efforts have proven it.

Trey's compositional skills really shine on this disc, which stands as a true testament to his compositional skills. "Guyute" sounds more natural played by a full orchestra than it does with Phish playing it. It really is a beautiful piece of music and is worth buying the disc for alone. However, "Andre the Giant" is another exceptional piece of music. "Inlaw Josie Wales" really benefits from the addition of a string quartet, as does "Prologue," which is really the intro to "Pebbles and Marbles." In fact, the only thing that doesn't fully work given the new treatment is "All Things Reconsidered." Yes, the disc could be longer, but nearly every minute of it is awesome. I'll take 30 minutes of great music over 70 minutes of mediocre any day...