Review – Jack Dubowsky Ensemble – 2 (De Stijl Music, 2010)

De Stijl Music – JDE Page

Sometimes spontaneity produces the best results and its well-known that first takes are the best. “2” just might be an exception to the rule – it was recorded without overdubs, contains some virtuosic performances, but hardly any melodies or interesting developments, which makes it hard to listen to it.
That’s not to say that its all bad – it starts out on a high note with “Leptocephalus” and a bouncy part in the middle of that track is fairly good. It all goes downhill from here, however, as every track seems to drown in monotony and the hand instinctively reaches for a rewind button. Unfortunately, salvation never comes as the next track ends up sounding about the same as the previous one.
Many of the tracks on the album start out with a promise, but tracks never evolve into anything interesting. Indeed, it sounds quite similar to Neu! and Harmonia, at least concept-wise, but whereas those bands were able to keep even some of the most long and minimalistic music fresh, this CD comes up with compositions that sound painfully static and dull.
Maybe I’m just prejudiced against improvisation of any kind, but its hard to find any bright spots within this CD.