Search - Michael Manring :: Toward the Center of the Night

"There is no guitar on this recording?"

Marc Ruby? | Warren, MI USA | 04/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is no stauncher advocate for the bass, electric, acoustic, or otherwise than Michael Manring. He has a long history of inventive and skillful playing that covers almost every possible variation of popular, new age, and jazz musicianship. This album, mostly soft jazz, is from 1988, and sets out on uncharted territory, where the only stringed instrument is Manring's bass, using a sparse instrumental style to underline and guide the content of the cuts.Paul McCandless is the woodwind player who takes a good piece of the burden of balancing Manring's playing. McCandless is no slouch himself, a veteran of the Paul Winter Consort and his own group, Oregon. Both musicians are adept at both solo and consort work and mange the interplay between their parts as if they had practiced for centuries.The play between the melodic bass line and what amounts to a brassy promenade herald 'Renegade Intellectuals,' while a densely presented minimalism prevails in 'Geometry' and 'The Precise Moment of Dusk'. 'A Brief History of the Wind' is a musical chase scene, where each part skirls about the other trading quotes. Wandering through this are the bluesy bass playing on 'Funk and Disorderly' and the pure new age playfulness of 'Life in the Trees.'Michael Manring's work is designed to take you out of accustomed groves and display new and enticing possibilities for the listener. Consistently high musical and production standards make this another exceptional album."