San Francisco-based Bassist, Joan Torres and his band All Is Fused, are all set to release their progressive-Latin-jazz album ‘Revolution’ this month. The band already has 3 earlier releases to its credit – “Before” 2012, “The Beginning” 2014, and “Of the Musical” 2016. Just like the previous 3 albums, the current record “Revolution” is also inventive and original, with each of the 9 tracks offering something different.
Torres wrote all the nine tracks and performed along with other talented members of his ensemble. He has tried to extend his comfort zone by adding different bass guitars in addition to his regular Fender Jazz Bass in this album.
“Revolution” is available via Bandcamp
Pre-orders available here
“Revolution” Track List
- Rebellion
- High Stakes
- Moving Mountain
- Ambivalence
- Loss
- Barriers
- Aftermath
- Finale
- (Bonus Track) True (Revamp)
Music Video: Band Members Playing the “Aftermath” Track Live:
The tracks of the album are titled so as to convey the emotions attached with different stages of journey when one embarks on a meaningful relationship. For example, one raises a ‘rebellion’ with the society and holds ‘high stakes’ in the new relationship. They don’t mind ‘moving mountain’ to be with someone they are attracted to. But as the true nature of their relationship sets in, there is a state of ‘ambivalence’ or mixed feelings. Slowly, they start feeling the ‘loss’ and begin putting up emotional ‘barriers’ around them. ‘Aftermath’ sums up the consequences of getting in and out of the relationship, and ‘finale’ concludes with the takeaway or the lessons learned from the whole incident.
The album opens with “Rebellion,” a highly energetic and melodious track, perfect for an intense and intimate ballad. The upbeat drums and elegant guitar harmoniously flow into the brilliant piano chords, setting the mood for the rest of the tracks.
“High Stakes” is more of contemporary jazz. Torres plays his signature bass chops against a kinetic drum line, creating an interesting musical effect. “Moving Mountain” begins with
Gabriel Vicéns’ guitar solo, fully improvised by him based upon a scene narrated by Joan Torres. Halfway through the track, other instruments join in, turning this solid 11-minute track into a trippy jazz fusion affair.
True to its title, “Ambivalence” opens a box of mixed feelings, while the down-tempo “Loss” makes you feel an immediate emotional tragedy with its melancholic strings and bass. The sixth track “Barriers” begins as though it’s continuing to mourn the ‘loss’ of the previous track but soon builds up a ‘barrier’ and lightens the mood with harmonious saxophone and melodic keyboard.
“Aftermath” continues the jovial mood with a distinct Latin touch, while the enticing “Finale” gets even wilder with artists taking turns to perform a solo. The bonus track “True (Revamp)” closes the album on a soulful note, establishing Torres’s sincerity and truthfulness to himself.
When Joan Torres set up his band All Is Fused, he had a possible trajectory in mind for the evolution of his music. He planned out phase 1 in order to get closer to the level of his favorite artists. The present CD “Revolution” marks the culmination of this first phase. It will be interesting to see what Torres brings us next!