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Benny Lackner Trio: Siskiyou
ByBenjamin Lackner
pianoSiskiyou is Lackner's? fifth trio outing, and his second with this particular line-up, after 2012's Cachuma? (BMH Productions). It is his best and most focused outing. The trio has gelled into a tight and beautifully synchronized unit, tinted with rock stylings and drum & bass beats. The leader's compositions haves a distinctive melodic containmentnotes don't fly all over the place, but rather stay channeled within a relatively narrow range, making, with his trio mates, a relentless, alluring, almost machine-like rhythms.
Lackner has perfected the mix of electric and acoustic. Using devices like the Musser Ampli-Celesta, Wurlitzer, Solina String Synth and Nord Lead alongside the piano, he crafts multi-toned soundscapes. Where Cachuma had more of a

Bill Evans
piano1929 - 1980
Seven of the disc's tunes are Lackner originals, along with David Bowie's "Cygnet Committee," featuring delicate piano notes over a trudging rhythm, and the belatedly famous folk singer Rodriguez's "Sugerman," a lovely, lilting tune, given a jolt of energy by Chazarenc's typewriter-like rhythm. The title tune, "Siskiyou," after a Northern California, Mt. Shasta area lake (Cachuma is a lake in Santa Barbara County California) has the piano sparkling over a heavy drum & bass with, from the depths, some dark-toned electronics sweetened with the electro strings. The trio closes with what sounds like a crowd-pleaser, "Name Dropper," beginning with a solid dance beat that evolves into a raging heavy metal groove, throwing that "containment thing" out the studio door.
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Track Listing
The 4th Member; Cygnet Committee; Palau; Sugarman; The Garden; Heart Racer; Song For Lucia; Siskiyou; Name Dropper.
Personnel
Benjamin Lackner
pianoBenny Lackner: piano, Musser Ampli-Celesta, Wurlitzer, Nord Lead, Solina String Ensemble (synth); Jerome Regard: electric bass, acoustic bass; Matthieu Chazarenc: drums.
Album information
Title: Siskiyou | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Unit Records
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