Bobby Previte-Marc Ducret: In The Grass
What we have here are a series of duets from two extremely “happening” musicians. Guitarist Marc Ducret and drummer Bobby Previte are undeniably two of the most productive and revered musician/composers of recent times, mainly within modern jazz circles. On In The Grass these gifted stylists take a gregarious stab at stirring up the pot sans overdubs, yet on occasion emit the feel and sound which to uninformed ears may seem like a “power trio” or quartet.
The fiery opener, “Fifty is a hundred, a hundred is a thousand...” showcases Ducret’s signature style angular attack along with his distortion induced electric guitar. Ducret’s fluid single note fingering on the frets seems almost elastic or perhaps his guitar strings are melting from sheer intensity....On this piece Previte utilizes electronics as he triggers a piano sample to coincide with his fierce rhythmic development behind the kit. With “Very Handy”, Ducret liquefies his guitar through rapid, heartfelt lead soloing or strumming a plethora of chords rarely residing within the same or previous stated territory. Here, Previte funks things up behind the drum kit while also implementing DJ-style scratch turntable samples. On other tracks such as “Du Du Du” we find Ducret going head to head with Previte’s polyrhythmic tom-tom work as Previte generates additional excitement and rhythmic fury on “Walking In The Dust”. This duo frequently perform as if they are two animals backed into a corner, clawing themselves out of harms way. “Very Handy Indeed” borders funk and trip-hop yet in an utterly unconventional way.... The 10 minute, ..”And The Rest Are What They Are” commences with Previte performing a simple, right hand motif on acoustic piano which is linear in scope while somewhat dissonant and devoid of any melodic development. On this track, Ducret’s airy yet uneventful guitar treatments fail to sustain interest; otherwise, In The Grass is a hard-edged, no holds barred affair as the lengthy and fruitful musical bond these men have share becomes quite apparent from the opening musical statements. If you need to get pumped up about something or perhaps suffer from malaise, then In The Grass may serve as the necessary remedy or ingredient ..........to lift your spirits! * * * *
Marc Ducret: Electric Guitar, Fretless Electric Guitar, Baritone Electric Guitar: Bobby Previte; Drums, Kurzweill K-2000 Keyboard, CAT Controller, Piano