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Dan Bruce's Beta Collective: Time to Mind the Mystics

By C. Andrew Hovan
May 11, 2022
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Dan Bruce's Beta Collective: Time to Mind the Mystics

A modern composer and guitarist, Dan Bruce spent a decade taking advantage of the Chicago jazz scene while working such rooms as The Green Mill and The Jazz Showcase. In addition to making his mark as a creative writer, he also spent time making music with such heavy hitters as

Seamus Blake

saxophone
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Seamus Blake,

Ali Jackson

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Ali Jackson, and

Dan Wall

organ, Hammond B3

" data-original-title="" title="">Dan Wall. Since 2017, Bruce has made his home in Northeast Ohio and has continued to turn heads with his original music and prowess as a powerful improviser.

Bruce's :beta collective was first assembled in Chicago back in 2015 as a vehicle for his original compositions and currently sports an A-List of Ohio's brightest improvisers. The group's second album builds on Bruce's ability to tailor make his compositions fit the talents of the ensemble. This is music that borders largely on extensive scoring, with solos being an organic part of the whole. In fact, many of the pieces find Bruce shifting much of the solo space to others, most notably trombonist

Caleb Smith

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Caleb Smith.

The title track opens the album in a majestic style. with Bruce's wildly distorted guitar ushering in a heavy fusion groove. Throughout the album, the guitar serves as another voice within the harmonies of the three horns. Recalling the musical attitudes of peers such as guitarists

Ben Monder

guitar
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Ben Monder,

Mike Moreno

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Moreno, and

Kurt Rosenwinkel

guitar
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Kurt Rosenwinkel, Bruce's lines move in unpredictable ways and tell a story in a highly engaging manner. As the piece evolves, the tenor of

Chris Coles

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Coles keeps the incendiary mood burning before Bruce's sinewave guitar tones conclude a colorful musical adventure.

Both "Blueprint" and "The Walk" strike a balance between established rhythmic continuums and the exploratory nature of Bruce's music. The former sports a searching melody line punctuated nicely by

Brad Wagner

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Brad Wagner's bass clarinet, with plenty of space for the crystalline phrases of

Will Wedmedyk

vibraphone

" data-original-title="" title="">Will Wedmedyk's vibraphone. Angular horn lines with guitar accents mark the latter number, which takes on a funky view complemented by

Aidan Plank

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Aidan Plank's electric bass.

Listening closely, one can detect the influence of music from the ECM canon. Taking a cue from

Ralph Towner

guitar
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Ralph Towner's Batik (ECM, 1978), Bruce expands on such known musical landscapes with his "Insignificance (A Love Song)." Nylon string guitar, in a minimal setting with bass and drums, helps paint the sunny mood, while giving us a better picture of Bruce's talents as an improviser. In the electric vein, the same thing can be said about "Slant," a cagey number that gets its propulsion from

Anthony Taddeo

drums
b.1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Anthony Taddeo's interactive drumming.

A tip of the hat to an acknowledged influence, "You Vs. You (For Bill Frisell)," speaks in hushed tones at first, just featuring the horns. Angular melodies develop as guitar and vibes fall in, contributing to the lush carpet that supports

Theron Brown

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Theron Brown's melodica. The most traditional piece of the lot, "Moth Flame Blues," wraps up an ambitious offering with engaging contributions from Wedmedyk, Brown, and

Brad Wagner

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Brad Wagner on soprano saxophone.

At a period in time where too much new jazz music takes a posture of complexity and abstruseness just for the sake of being different, Bruce's :beta collective benefits from a more matured state of mind. A perfect balance between the known and the exploratory is the key to engagement, and on this count, one couldn't ask for more.

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Track Listing

Time to Mind the Mystics; Blueprint; Insignificance (A Love Song); Slant; The Walk; You Vs. You; Not Knowing; Moth Flame Blues.

Personnel

Daniel Bruce

guitar

Chris Coles

saxophone

Brad Wagner

saxophone

Caleb Smith

trombone

Will Wedmedyk

vibraphone

Theron Brown

piano

Aidan Plank

bass

Anthony Taddeo

drums

Joel Negus

synthesizer

Additional Instrumentation

Dan Bruce- electric guitar, nylon string guitar, Ableton programming, compositions

Album information

Title: Time to Mind the Mystics | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Shifting Paradigm Records

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