Search - Checkfield :: Distant Thunder

For Our Pleasure

Marc Ruby? | Warren, MI USA | 02/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Noted for both tight composition and lush instrumentation, the team of S. John Archer and Ron Satterfield have been nominated for the Grammy award four times. For the most part they have an exuberant rhythmic style that lays down a groove and then hauls the listener down the road with them. While they are not the only musicians to approach contemporary instrumental music in this fashion, they are one of the most talented pairings in the business.Distant Thunder, dated 1987, was their big break into popularity. The works vary in style from the celebratory vibrations of Spring Dance to the quieter, more contemplative After the Rain and Woodland Cathedral. But rarely does Checkfield's work come anywhere close to somnolent dreaminess. There is a certain purposefulness to the compositions - a clear sense of development and direction.Another thing that sets Checkfield apart is their willingness to include scat and other vocal instrumentation in their work. When they do it is rarely center stage, but arises so easily that one second, you don't hear it, and the next you are riding along side. And then, just as easily, it disappears. Satterfield has a natural voice for this (listen to Spring Dance) and I with there was more of it. Close listening reveals even more unexpected depth."