Andre Bush: Start From Silence

Bay Area guitarist Andre Bush tempers complexity with lyricism on Start From Silence (Odd Culture), his third release as a leader, where he enjoys the company of soprano saxophonist and bass clarinetist Bruce Williamson, bassist Peter Barshay and drummer Alan Hall; Art Lande, the noted pianist, appears on half the cuts. Bush’s writing is harmonically dense but fairly pastoral in mood, with some exceptions, one being “An Even Three,” the thrasher of the set. The title piece is a three-part series of short interludes, beautifully improvised by Bush on acoustic guitar and manipulated by BluCube (producer Cookie Marenco). Bush’s lines are clean and fluid, if sometimes thin in tone. He’s a friend of the fuzz pedal, which he uses effectively in a number of spots. His nylon-string reprise of the ballad “You Are Who You Love” is a lovely finale. “Degree of Difficulty” and “We Have Never Seen the Absolute End…Yet” are good examples of his non-scholastic approach to odd meters.

Originally Published May 1, 2005