NEW RELEASE – MICHIEL STEKELENBURG

Trio Onoda prowls the borders of the guitar/organ combo format.

Acouple of exceptional originals is a necessity for a good band and a good record. Ace guitarist Michiel Stekelenburg, a particularly growing presence on the international fusion circuit, meets demands. Underpinned by wahwah-ish vibrations, Stekelenburg rips and roars through the rock-funk of Consecotaleophobia, no doubt a flagwaver during live performances. Onoda is the album’s strongest mood piece, flamenco-tinged and laden with tension, as if you’re watching the miraculous blossoming of an orchid in the time span of six minutes. Courageous way to kickstart a record.

Stekelenburg wrote some erratically patterned ballbreakers that are tackled fluently by the trio and songs that, though hardly unforgettable in my mind, are springboards for solid improvisation. Arno Krijger is the secret weapon. The way that the versatile organist sonically steers the proceedings, sometimes punchy, other times deliberately oblique, is pretty nifty and Krijger’s misterioso stories are balanced and to the point.

Keyser Söze (ears of cinema aficionados perk up) includes a slight suggestion of swing and the dichotomy of sturdy fusion and loose feel is rather suspenseful and alluring, making us want more where that came from.