PAPATAMUS REDUX

PYROCLASTIC PR 35 (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 6 2024)

What happens when you combine the complex rhythms of salsa music with the jazz fusion of “Bitches Brew,” the anthem sounds of the Liberation Music Orchestra and the foreboding mood of film noir? Vibraphonist Patricia Brennan does it on Breaking Stretch, adding saxophonists Jon Irabagon and Mark Shim and trumpeter Adam O’Farrill to the trio (Kim Cass on bass, Marcus Gilmore on drums and Mauricio Herrera on percussion) she worked with on her 2022 release More Touch. With the exception of the atmospheric “Mudanza (States of Change)” and the plodding “Earendel,” the other seven selections follow the same formula. Regardless of whether tunes are introduced with percussion (“Los Otros Yo), bass (“Palo de Oro) or horns (“Five Suns”), they eventually morph into a mixture of searing but short solos from Irabagon, Shim and O’Farrill interwoven with incessant Latin-inspired rhythms, intricate horn arrangements, and disturbing electronic effects. The result is a collection of tunes that seem to belong more in a movie theatre than a club or concert hall. “555” would make a perfect soundtrack to a Hitchcock thriller. The somber opening of “Suenos de Coral Azul” is waiting for a mystery to unfold. According to the promotional material, Breaking Stretch is a combination of contemporary classical and forward-searching jazz, folkloric traditions from Brennan’s native Mexico, and a wealth of rhythmic inspirations ranging from Afro-Caribbean sounds to funk, salsa and brass-driven rock bands. Without question, it took a lot of work for Brennan to combine all these influences into Breaking Stretch. Unfortunately, it did not work for me.

BOTTOM LINE: On her latest outing, Breaking Stretch, vibraphonist Patricia Brennan mixes multiple musical influences together with mixed results. Dense rhythms, electronic effects and plodding melodies dampen the efforts of a group that Brennan expanded with saxophonists Jon Irabagon and Mark Shim and trumpeter Adam O’Farrill.