Although its propensity probably never really went away Los Angeles has been notable of late for producing tons of interesting and compelling music. One of probably hundreds of micro-scenes, the Improvised Music/Jazz adjacent one in the City of Angeles looks and sounds to be heated up with lots of activity and documentation. As stated many times, Disaster Amnesiac is interested in many of the sounds produced in Los Angeles, not the least of which come from that Improvised impulse. It's not recalled exactly where Live at Silverlake Lounge came to my attention but when it did the urge to hear it was strong. For one thing just dig on that cover imagery! Pretty difficult to pass up, no? Are those colored forms actually letters that spell out the names of the performers? Or the title of the record? Looking at its back, one will find the players listed: Patrick Shiroishi on saxophones, Adam Lion on vibraphone, and Mike Meanstreetz on drums. Fascinating trio that, and full of sonic potentialities, ones which are capably explored by these three Angelenos. Live at Silverlake Lounge kicks off with some Cage/Partch style percussion conversation during which Meanstreetz eventually takes a lead role, but not by bashing around. Instead he lets the form dictate the moves and eventually his voicings rise as the main focus. Shiroishi, a woodwinds player capable of great blasting, shows a bit different aspect of his musical abilities as his saxophone sounds emerge. His tones are abstract but also very much in the pocket. His sweet modal tones guide the group into zones that are often filled with more spacial insight, and when he does launch his ability to control the vessel is readily apparent. The vibraphone playing of Lion adds touches that are often times imbued with an almost mystical tonality, or at least tones of magic. Adam also knows well how to balance quieter runs with those more bombastic ones. Meanstreetz's drum kit playing is supportive and creative throughout, and his "junk percussion" bits are very interesting and well placed within the improvisational matrix that this subtle trio invokes. Ghost sounds and vibe runs take the listener to Shambhala. Everyone slides into a collective exploration of extended techniques. The three players play remarkably well together for one twenty two-ish minute investigation and then that's it. Therein lies the only disappointment of Live at Silverlake Lounge. Disaster Amnesiac is, and surely others are too, left wanting more. It's an intriguing statement from a trio that, given more time and perhaps a bit bigger budget, could really plumb the depths of abstraction available to them in the city that gifted the world the likes of Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry, Horace Tapscott, Nels Cline.....................
