Nick Gerlach is an accomplished tenor saxophonist who as recently been features on albums from some of my favorite bands includng Lotus and Sunsquabi. Concrete Lullaby is his first solo release since the disbanding of his band Cosby Sweater in 2016. For this session he brought in Neal “Fro” Evans (Dopapod) and Tommy Shugart (Roosevelt Collier, The Groove Orient). In Nick’s words, “The instrumental album is a three-song journey that includes a dystopian allegory, a compelling cover of “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden, and a funk track inspired by 80s horrors soundtracks and organ trio funk.
Have a listen and my take on this fun trip, track-by-track.
“I decided to take some ideas, chart them out, and record them in a short half-day session with the other musicians (Neal Evans and Tommy Shugart). I then took the recording home and produced them to add power and depth to the compostiions before having them mixed.”
–Nick Gerlach, The Cultet
Track-By-Track
Waltzing Into The Apocalypse starts with a waltz melody (what else?). Nick’s playing is crystal clear and Tommy and Neal mirror him into the B-section where the organ comes on more prominently. The transition out of the waltz is very streamlined until around the 3-minute mark when there’s a more chaotic break into an avant garde final section that ends with electronic feedback and static.
Black Hole Sun is to my knowledge the only Soundgarden song I recognize. The band was a leader in grunge rock and The Cultet does an excellent job of translating into new jazz. It starts with a smooth organ intro from Tommy before Nick and Neal check in. Nick does a great job of capturing the essence of the original without the benefit of lyrics. The saturation from Tommy and Neal form a very complete picture. I really love the Nick solo for the last minute or so, especially reaching for the high altissimo before the echo ending.
Haddonfield definitely starts like a scary movie with some monster sounds followed by a metallic pro-rock march that segues into some danceable funk with Nick on a effected instrument followed by a catchy sax jam. Then a quick bounceback to the danceable passage. The next segment bounces back to the monster them, heavy on some deeper sax, sustained organ lines and processional beats from Neal. It’s good for some head banging for sure, right to the monster closing.
Stream on Spotify Here
The Band
Nicholas Gerlach, sax, synths
Neal Evans, drums
Tommy Shugart, keys, organ