music

A long and meaningful relationship can blossom between people from different paths, it is only a matter of finding a spark for connection. For Alex Harding and Lucian Ban, that spark was the blues, and their work together has grown unimpeded to produce a thoughtful and gorgeous recording in Dark Blue.  Harding’s lovely bass clarinet playing highlights his “Esto,” a brief composition that combines elements of past pieces. Harding’s “H.B.” is a moving tribute to his late friend and baritone sax hero Hamiet Bluiett, and features a striking solo performance from Harding. Ban’s “Low Country Blues” is a solo aural representation of the pastoral scenes of rural Romanian life. Inspired by the work of Ralph Ellison, “The Invisible Man” is an improvised piece that frames the musicians’ impressions of the great writer. The recording concludes with Ban’s devastating gospel inflected “Hymn.”