STRAT ANDRIOTIS

THE WOLF SLEEPS ALONE

Strat Andriotis, guitar/composer; Vince Di Francesco, bass; Vince Karcza, drums.

Guitarist, Strat Andriotis was born in Greece and relocated to Canada with his family when he was four years old. His early inspirations began with rock-oriented music like that of “Cream” and Jimi Hendrix. But when he heard the Miles Davis album “In A Silent Way,” Strat changed his musical direction towards jazz.  Other influences are John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, Pat Martino and John McLaughlin.

The trio opens with a tune Andriotis calls “Bullets.”  It’s perforated with several staccato guitar lines that could represent gunshots. I found myself searching for the melody.  This is very improvised music. Vince Di Francesco’s walking bass acts as a grounding force for the tune. The Andriotis original song, “Can’t Help Myself” follows and it’s just the opposite, very melodic. Strat has composed every song on this album.

On a tune called “Caretaker” Vince Di Francesco’s bass takes a solo that skips across space to make his own original statement. I find this music to be more exploratory than traditional.  It’s not quite Avant-garde, but instead, Andriotis is quite experimental in his approach to arranging his music. The drums of Vince Karcza hold this composition in place, but where is the groove?  That’s what I miss in the Andriotis music. There’s no place to finger-snap or toe tap.  It is totally free, without the cohesiveness that a groove could bring to his creativity.

This changes on “Delivery,” a tune where Di Francesco reverts back to his walking bass, while Strat Andriotis plays his own melodic innovation on guitar. Strangely, I felt the walking bass was oblivious to what Andriotis was playing.  Karcza’s drums once again lock in with the bass, creating a cohesiveness, but without groove. Is this what Strat Andriotis wanted him to do?

On a tune called “Great Forgiveness” Andriotis sneaks a little blues into his mix.  The recording of this tune is more polished and more bluesy than the video I found on YouTube. Finally, his drummer is given several bars to show off his percussive skills.  This is one of the more melodic compositions on this album.

I thought his tune “Letters” would have made a beautiful waltz production, but the drums were all over the place.

Strat Andriotis offers nine of his original songs, each produced in an experimental way. This humble listener never could find the groove in most of these songs. It hid, like a daydream in the mind of the creator.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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