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By GINA VIVINETTO
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 21, 2001
An occasional roundup of compact discs by local artists
BILL BECHTEL, WILDERNESS IN OHIO (LONGVIEW RECORDS) -- Tampa's Bill Bechtel says Wilderness In Ohio is an "ambient/jazz tribute to the wild spaces of North America." So, you'd think the disc would be all New Age and wimpy. Wrong. Multi-instrumentalist Bechtel has crafted an intricate, challenging disc of music as weird as anything from the early 1970s Robert Fripp/Brian Eno collaborations.
Ghosts of the Western Reserve is a guitar extravaganza: wily, weird and, in spots, beautiful. Tampa scenester Robert Wegmann plays trumpet on Ghosts of Sharon, and Annie Vox gives guest voice treatments on In A Lonely Place.
Wilderness recalls the guitar-based German band Neu! and other avant garde composers. Violins and timpani add exotic sound to this ambient, arty disc, which is, like the wilderness, pretty wild.
BLUE DICE, WHY NOW? (http://www.bluedice.com) Blue Dice, an 8-piece with horns galore, plays soulful blues rock. On Why Now?, the band's second release, Blue Dice locks into a groove and funks it up for all it's worth.
This big band has something for everyone: Pat Peterson's rollicking bass slaps you like an elastic band on your skin. Bluesy vocals come from six of the band's eight members.
Then, the horns! Ah, trumpets, saxes, billowy flutes. Smoking harmonica and zippy organ flesh it all out. Oh, and don't forget the harp! These guys leave no stone unturned, but nothing sounds forced. Why Now? has that delicious, laid-back groove found on War's Spill the Wine or that fine ol' Dr. Buzzard Original Savannah Band stuff.
CHIME, STARRAIN (http://chime.web.com or email chime-online@angelfire.com) From Sarasota, Chime creates dreamy, spiritual music that delves into the otherwordly. Liner notes have the quintet -- whose members use one-word names such as Sage and Storm -- thanking "our fairies." (Smell the Nag Champa incense burning?)
But the music, which hints of Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance, has force. Singer Sage possesses a compelling voice, capable of ethereal pleasantries as well as Alanis-style rants, but with less vitriol. (Chime's lyrics are decidely not angry.)
The band uses interesting instruments such as rain sticks and ashiko. Drummer Claire Franklin pounds out rhythms on a regular kit, congas and bongos.
Opener Brilliance Follows Chaos sets the pace for Starrain, a disc of range and emotion. Each song is unique: The sweet Voices Are Knocking is hypnotic and lulling. Violin punctuates the frenetic Snowflakes. Ode to outer space Un-I-Denti-Flying, with deft bass, is stirring.
MARTIN & RAMSEY, LET'S GO TO FLORIDA (http://www.chachamusic.com) Guitarist Charles Martin and bassist Mike Ramsey of Seminole have crafted a disc about running away from it all -- to the Sunshine State. And boy, on Let's Go to Florida, the duo makes a case for the allure of our state's "palm trees and promises." (Other titles: Condoland, Another Day in Paradise, Afternoon Shower.)
This is all-original Southern folk rock with Martin's folksy delivery -- hinting of his idol Bob Dylan -- harmonies and lean instrumentation.
Martin's guitar pickin' is dandy, and his harmonica adds charm to songs such as the wry Made It to the Top. The moral of the story? Success ain't all it's cracked up to be. This city slicker is being beckoned back home. Martin & Ramsey capture it with humor and insight.
GUMBI ORTIZ AND THE LATINO PROJECT, LA CURA (email: Casa.ortiz!gte.netr or DrLohertz@aol.com) Drummer Gumbi Ortiz leads the Latino Project, sure, but you can bet their foray into Afro-Cuban music is a collective affair. La Cura brims with the funky, sexy rhythms of rumba and peaks with delicious improvisation. High energy? Try non-stop.
Frank Martinez, long a staple on the local music scene, pounds the drums, and when it's combined with Ortiz's own masterful conga playing, you get a tapestry of percussion. The rest of the band is equally adroit, with bassist Kenny Walker and Jeremy Douglass on keys. Freddie Montez handles vocals, and his voice is rich and powerful.
This is busy music, with timbalas, Spanish singing, Cuban chants. Case in point: the chatty, cacaphonic Lo Que No Cura, La Cura and the festive, merry Soy Del Caribe. A challenge: Listen to Ortiz and the gang and try not grin or tap your feet. Impossible.
MICHAEL ROSS QUARTET, DOGHOUSE (http://www.michaelrossquartet.com) The Michael Ross Quartet plays original jazz that's mesmerizing. On Doghouse, bassist Ross, who has plucked strings for Nat Adderly, Herbie Mann and others, keeps his quartet busy with compositions such as the engaging title track. Its intro bass solo would make even mean old Charles Mingus smirk in approval.
But the whole band is fantastic. LaRue Nickerson's sublime guitar massages its way into Eggplant Prayer. Thomas Carabasi does things with mallets and cymbals on the laconic, dreamy Viewing Infinity that will make your jaw drop.
On much of Doghouse, the MRQ gets the groove so right that it creates a sort of safety net for saxophonist David Pate to go nuts over. And boy, does he ever. Pate's ribbony outpourings are at times restrained and lovely, then all of a sudden furious, ecstatic.
Some of these cats have been playing together 20 years or more, and it shows. Despite seeing each other's mugs for decades, they play with a vitality and sheer generosity that is the essence of jazz. Doghouse is beautiful.
ESPREE DEKOR, BAKERMAN IS MAKIN'. . . (email dellapenna@ij.net) The vibrant, Latin-tinged music of Espree deKor is perfect beach fare from the word go: The Way You Make Love, lead cut on the debut Bakerman is Makin', would make Ricky Martin himself shake his bon bons till the poor boy fell over dizzy.
The rest of the album is as lush, perfect for a balmy night of sand and romance -- and the guys know it; check out the pics inside of familiar Gulf o' Mexico landmarks. (Espree is the house band at Bongo's Beach Bar and Grill in St. Pete Beach).
Some of Bakerman's lyrics are sung in Spanish by guitarist Christopher Della Penna, who often fingers flamenco style, such as on the sensual Toro Blu. Della Penna has been playing with bassist Peter Amabile for 15 years, and together the duo tackles various styles, including the Euro synth pop cool of Bakerman's title track.
FLOTILLA 13, MEXICAN SWEATERS (Flotilla13band@aol.com) Two of the guys in Flotilla 13 grew up together in Dunedin but hooked up as a band at FSU to make smart, well-crafted alterna-pop. Clever lyrics abound on Mexican Sweaters, particularly on She's Emo, a celebration of a punk rock boy's dream girl -- she of the blue hair and mercurial moods. The song's galloping see-saw sensibility is catchy.
Tyrannicide is less simple; in fact, it expands into guitar grandiosity like the best Smashing Pumpkins. The melancholy Marianas is filled with lovely twists and turns. The Heist, a whimsy of vibes and keys, is resplendent in silly whodunnit charm. Thus is Flotilla 13's restless, experimental nature: Don't get used to one sound.
JOSH MAGWOOD & THE UNDERESTIMATED BAND, MARY'S HIGHWAY, Josh Magwood cannot be a teenager. How'd he get that seasoned bluesy growl? How'd he learn to play devilish guitar like that? He's 16!
Magwood and his Underestimated Band, equally teenaged, are like old sages in their vision. The trio play real blues, electrified and updated like Stevie Ray Vaughan, complete with wailing vocals, fiery guitar and a tight rhythm section.
The urgent It's About Time bristles with eroticism -- and pardon me, folks, if you think teens aren't capable of sexy delivery, consult Britney Spears or old Michael Jackson records.
The dapper Second Late for Love and the break-up blues of No, No, No show Magwood and the boys' range, with those guitar riffs escalating into a heartbreakingly delicate solo by Magwood. Hear Magwood wail in his too-jaded-for-his-own-good bellow, "Now I know how love works." Oh, man, I don't care if you're 16 or 106, that's what the blues are about.
If you would like your local act's CD considered for In Our Own Back Yard, send it to Gina Vivinetto, St. Petersburg Times, P.O Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.