The Honeybee Twist - Andy Haas; Brian Skol

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New York based Canadian saxophonist Andy Haas is back with a “duo” release featuring his diverse sax playing, circular breathing technique, special effects, and improvising brilliance with the equally gifted Toronto-based percussionist and drummer Brian g Skol. Recorded in Toronto in 2024, the two musicians create and combine their unique avant-garde experimental sounds.

The slightly over 30-minute-long release features eight improvised, experimental tracks. The Eagle and Prometheus features ascending melodies and repeated saxophone notes and crashing cymbals and drums.  A bouncy groove is prevalent. The long-held saxophone notes add variety with the intense percussion. The title track opens with a “crunching” saxophone sound, then repeated notes alongside dramatic percussion and drums. Then a more melodic, slightly atonal, detached melody is like hearing the bee flying. The two musicians’ consistent, tight sense of time is especially forefront in Myth Hysteria Blues where the more melodic sax lines with percussion hits have a quasi blues sound. 

To be expected in experimental improvisations, Haas and Skol incorporate numerous musical elements which can create some difficult and challenging listening. Their complex effects, shifting dynamics,  atonal melodies, subtle touches of grooves like jazz and blues, drones and wide-ranging percussion add to the originality and beauty of this music, especially with each repeated listening.

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