1. Exiled   (5.12)
2. Strolling In The Savanah   (4.25)
3. Walking On Wood   (4.25)
4. Rama Longed For Sita   (2.54)
5. Monkey Dance   (4.29)
6. Dark Celestial Maidens  (4.29)
7. To Gaze At Her   (4.35)
8. Honey In The Forest   (3.38)
9. Which Way Do We Go?  (4.24)
10. Hanuman's Leap  (5.08)
11. Surya   (4.16)

see Tony's MySpace site for mp3 clips

TONY BIANCO'S MONKEY DANCE with DAVE LIEBMAN - Monkey Dance (FMR 188; UK) Featuring Tony Bianco on drums, bass & piano, Dave Liebman on saxes & wooden flute, Eric St. Laurent on guitar and Ali Keita on balaphon. Like last year's 'Freebeat' disc with Elton Dean, US-born UK-based drummer, Tony Bianco, has put together some hypnotic repeating bass-lines for this group to groove to. Those grooves often do a Miles-like vibe, like Tony writes in the liner notes. As Tony keeps both the bass and drums pumping, Liebman's saxes (tenor & soprano) and Eric's electric guitar play spirited solos around one another. On "Strolling in the Savannah", Dave takes a long, flowing soprano solo with a sly, Trane-like tone. Previously unknown (to me) French guitarist, Eric St. Laurent, plays consistently strong, dark chords underneath as Liebman plays one great solo after another. St. Laurent also solos with great resourcefulness, answering and playing around Liebman in an intense tight-knit fashion. Dave also plays some spirited wooden flute on a couple of these pieces, with Tony's swell mallets supporting them as Erik also plays cautiously behind them. Each piece features an infectious groove that Tony has set up, so both the sax and guitar can take strong solos or just swirl intricately around the groove. One track does feature a fine balaphon line with some lovely flute from Liebman. Consistently enchanting throughout. - BLG
DMG NEWSLETTER 1ST DECEMBER 2006

**** "a surprising little gem" JAZZWISE MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2006

1. Sideway Dreams   (8.54)
2. Ghost   (7.00)
3. Pelham Parkway   (7.16)
4. Red Man   (7.00)
5. Northern Lights   (8.18)
6. El Ché  (9.52)

Elton Dean/Tony Bianco/Jon Wilkinson-Freebeat Really good, electric jazz album that is Tony's creation, but Elton is the main solistic voice and he sounds great here, in this electronic, post-Bitches Brew swirls of sound! There's no date as to when this was done, but if it's late period Elton, his declining health isn't noticeable on the playing! "The concept of Freebeat came through Tony Bianco’s realisation that time signatures are another way of phrasing. In Freebeat you will feel the pulse, it kind of feels like 4/4, but when you try to count you’ll find that you can’t count anything into it. It’s a combination of beats and phrasing, more like the way speaking occurs. Three of these pieces feature my bass parts looped (sometimes up to a hundred bars), then I play the drums to the bass track, afterwards adding keyboard chords, then Elton and Jon add their parts where I was able to open up the pieces into more of a free zone, while still feeling the pulse.. All tracks were first takes by all on board. The great work that both Elton Dean and Jon Wilkinson contributed is obvious. Straight and Free. Chaos and Order. Liberty and Responsibility combining for Freebeat." - Tony Bianco
WAYSIDE MUSIC, DECEMBER 1, 2006

1. Elfrin   (7.56)
2. Underplan   (8.33)
3. Piper   (7.19)
4. Fallen Angels   (8.40)
5. Know One Now   (6.57)
6. Mr. Helpful   (7.43)

1. So You Say   (8.40)
2. Chance   (11.58)
3. The Bells Told   (8.14)
4. Lequation   (8.32)
5. Relative Grace   (9.31)

Excerpts from sleeve notes :

The obstacles for me writing music from a drummer's point of view was to know how to elaborate the motifs of the music without going into automatic pilot. To be loose and tense, free and strict. Of course, finding the right band is important. Carlos, Oli and Zoe work great together and their understanding of my well-meaning but vague directions just added to the magic of this recording. We recorded theses 11 tracks one afternoon in December in 2002 in London. Five of the pieces I wrote while the band was coming around to my place for rehearsals, so I felt like I was writing for the band personally.
Tony Bianco

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