[rating=8.00]
ChessBoxer’s public profile has leapt upward dramatically concurrent with their collaboration with Warren Haynes (and Jeff Sipe) on the road during the fall of 2015. It only makes sense for the band to have recordings available, even if not the full length sort due next year, to solidify the impression the band makes on stage.
And even if you haven’t seen ChessBoxer live, the Apollo EP does make and solidify an impression even with its four tracks. It’s easy to see why Haynes, improvisationalist supreme that he is, was inclined to play with the trio: the four musicians share a patience that, in play on ‘Calon Lan,” features Ross Holmes, Royal Masat and Matt Menefee taking their time not just getting into the tune, but lovingly exploring it. “The Devil and Sally Jones” is more traditional, its sprightly reel style an effective contrast to what preceded and what follows.
Still, dynamics mean little without an equal proportion of precision, which violinist Holmes, banjoist Menefee and bassist Masat apply to this genre piece with no small amount of relish, thus avoiding an antiseptic, academic approach. The interplay here is such that it sounds like more than three musicians, yet producer Charlie Peacock didn’t overdub for the intricate effect the track produces. In fact, there’s a sparse approach most evident in “Bacon” that only reaffirms the natural empathy that unites ChessBoxer.
There’s just enough within this mere sixteen minutes playing time to fully display the band’s skills sufficiently and, simultaneously, whet the appetite for a more comprehensive presentation which is due to arrive early in the new year. In the meantime, as the strains of “I Can’t Tell My Secret Weapon” fade, ending this recording in much the same atmospheric air as it began, anyone who hears it would be inclined to not only eagerly anticipate that release, but go see ChessBoxer (again) in concert.
