KELSEY MINES

EVERYTHING SACRED, NOTHING SERIOUS

OA2 Records

Kelsey Mines, electric & acoustic bass/vocals; Machado Muiga, drums; Jeff Busch, percussion; Danilo Silva, electric & acoustic guitar; John Hansen, piano; Beserat Tafesse, trombone; Elsa Nilsson, flute/bass flute.

The opening tune that Kelsey Mines has penned features her scat singing along the melody. It’s titled “Self-Alchemization.”  The term ‘alchemization’ is the process of changing or transmuting something by alchemy, like transforming elements or materials into different forms or substances.

Kelsey Mines is an experimental jazz composer, a classical bassist who has interwoven her talents with jazz. She has composed every song on this album.

Elsa Nilsson leaps into the spotlight during this first tune, using her awesome flute solo to improvise wildly. Also, John Hansen provides a creative improvised solo on piano.

On the title tune, “Everything Sacred, Nothing Serious” Kelsey uses her bass instrument to open the arrangement. She sings along with Beserat Tafesse’s trombone and Nilsson’s flute, her voice sounding warm and angelic. When she steps center stage to solo on her double bass, Kelsey displays her prowess on the instrument.  She is followed by Nilsson’s exceptional talents on flute. Again, I enjoy John Hansen’s solo on piano, with the soft vocals of Kelsey singing underneath his tinkling piano notes, as the other members of this ensemble join them. I am captivated by Kelsey Mines arranging and composer talents.  I like her harmonic productions and the way she uses her voice as another instrument.

On the quirky title of “Sitting not Waiting” Kelsey composes a more Straight-ahead jazz arrangement.  This quickly becomes a favorite of mine, with Beserat Tafesse soloing on trombone with great energy and vivid improvisations.  John Hansen also shows his talents during this tune, improvising freely on piano.

Kelsey Mines opens Track #4 with bass a’ cappella. She speaks to us in musical sentences, unfolding the story of “Staying with the Trouble,” another tongue-in-cheek-title that perhaps radiates the humor I see in this artist’s eyes on her album cover. Her music and tune titles tickle the brain.  When she bows the double bass on this one, I am intrigued.

I find this bass player, composer, arranger and singer standing in a star space of her own.  The harmonics she hears are impressive, and her melodic compositions radiate a unique style and musical personae.  I think she succeeds in blending her vocal talents into the mix, like the sensitive human instrument that she is. That voice becomes another orchestral texture. This is a blossoming, talented composer and musician we are bound to hear much more from in the future.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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