Ghost Rhythms – Sierra de Tamuraque
Bands in the jazz-rock genre can sometimes overplay their welcome, stretching songs into unending, elliptical exercises in excessive soloing. Ghost Rhythms smartly avoids such overkill by often favoring shorter, yet still opulent, numbers.
Sierra de Tamuraque is a musical petit fours, a delectable, bite-size composition that wonderfully displays the multidimensional talents of this French ensemble that had previously released a live record for the eclectic Cuneiform label. Barely more than two minutes in length, the song captures the essence of this Paris-based outfit by balancing avant-garde chamber music leanings with its prog-rock influences.
Led by drummer Xavier Gélard and pianist Camille Petit, Ghost Rhythms plays an adventurous style that sounds slightly reminiscent of the band Happy the Man and occupies a middle ground somewhere between Canterbury and Zeuhl. Although typically favoring brief ideas, Ghost Rhythms is not unwilling to explore extended numbers as well.
The song, which is being promoted with a cool short film by Guillaume Aventurin, comes from the group’s fifth full-length album, Imaginary Mountains. With the pandemic rendering weekly rehearsals impossible, the band chose to showcase more intimate material that showcased the ensemble’s orchestral side.
Ghost Rhythm’s late 2020 release is an unquestioned quarantine triumph.