Seis De Mayo
It wasn't long after the recording of this, Trey Anastasio's third--and most warmly idiosyncratic--solo album, that thePhishfrontman/guitarist announced that his improvisation-fueled, cult-fave band would record no more. Longtime Phish-heads (or admirers of Anastasio's previousfree-form jazz excursionswith Les Claypool and Stewart Copeland and more conventionalsolo work) may find this ambitious, if occasionally precious, immersion into instrumental concert music proper both familiar (it includes mature arrangements of several previous Phish tracks, including the expanded, 66-piece-strong orchestral centerpiece "Guyute") and insightfully intriguing. Though he is better known for his adventurous, improvisational bent, the recordings here argue that Anastasio's is a more precise musical soul than the occasionally madcap antics of his band might suggest. It would be too easy--and ultimately unfair--to describe these eclectic outings as cinematic. Indeed, they draw on influences that suggest more than a passing acquaintance not only with American classical icons such asIves(the nervous, colliding melodies and pan-tonalism of "Coming To," the skewed string quartet of "All Things Reconsidered") andCopland("Guyute"), but also more recent national treasures such asVan Dyke Parks("Andre the Giant"'s playful Caribbean rhythms, the neo-baroque stateliness of "Prologue") andRandy Newman(the pastoral grace of "The Inlaw Josie Wales") as well.--Jerry McCulley