Deepstaria Enigmatica

The Eternal Now Is the Heart of a New Tomorrow

 ESP-Disc

What do you think of when Scott Bomar of the Bo-Keys and Sam Phillips Recording Studio appear on the jacket of an album? Likely it’s the likes of Bomar’s main band or Al Green, William Bell, Cyndi Lauper, or John Nemeth, a few of the many whose albums he’s engineered and mixed. None of those artists will in least prepare you for this endeavor from Bomar. The name enough, Deepstaria Enigmatica, should have you scratching your head. The Eternal Now Is the Heart of a New Tomorrow is a full length LP with just two lengthy twenty plus minutes tracks. It’s in some ways like going back to the ‘70s for the likes of Pharoah Sanders, Miles Davis, and the Coltranes who would engage in lengthy journeys.  While it might be tempting to call this band “free jazz,” it is so much more. It’s spacier, more groove laden, and electric in so many ways. It’s as if Sun Ra returned to Saturn and then came down to earth with a whole new bag, more quietly intense than bombastic but fiery just the same.

First, the name is derived from the quintet’s dedication to otherworldly soundscapes on a rarely see, bell-shaped jellyfish discovered by Jacques Cousteau. Every note is inspired by like-minded sense of discovery.  At first the sound will blow you back but stay tuned as what first appears to be chaos will reveal melodies, harmonies, thick grooves, cosmic hard bop, modal jazz, ambient music, and clear purpose to the extent that much of it sounds composed (though we’ll never know).They are not just randomly jamming.  However, words don’t do the music justice. Heck, they can’t even really adequately describe what you’ll hear on “The Eternal Now” (20:06) and The Truths (23:06)”.  Take some of long jazz tracks you may know: Pharoah Sanders’ “The Creator Has a Master Plan,” any of the four tracks on Miles Davis’s Dark Magus or the seminal Ornette Coleman’s “Free Jazz.” While you may find elements of all of them here, think of mashing up all three and injecting that mixture with huge infusions of electronics and unpredictable shifts to create a potpourri of soundscapes.

The musicians and their backgrounds will offer more clues. They are Chad Fowler (stritch, alto and bass flutes, Otamatone (electronic synthesizer), voice). Fowler played alto with Frank Lowe and George Cartwright in the ‘90s and now plays with the likes of William Parker, Kidd Jordan, Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, and even Brian Blade. Guitarist David Collins is the composer and guitarist behind Frog Squad, a Memphis group who have blended jazz improvisation with visionary music as disparate as that of Horace Silver and Erik Satie. Pianist and keyboardist Alex Greene first studied computer synthesis in music with composer Judy Klein in the ‘80s before playing with a variety of Memphis groups form Alex Chilton to Big Ass Truck to Reigning Sound. Additionally he’s spent over twenty years working with New York composer Dave Soldier. Now he improvises with multiple keyboards simultaneously. Drummer Jon Harrison is less than 10 years removed from studying jazz at the University of Memphis and also casts a wide span of styles, working in the Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra, Frog Squad, the Church Brothers, Hope Calyburn’s Soul Scrimmage, and more. The fifth member is bassist Khari Wynn, best known as the guitarist for the hip-hop giant Public Enemy but he moves in other unorthodox directions with groups such as Energy Disciples under the same name he uses here, Mysterioso Africano.

Their sound, despite some of the references herein, is completely new. Yes, it will likely be mind-blowing. One can only imagine what those walls in the Sam Phillips Recording Studio (if walls could talk and react) were feeling during these sessions, which must be, by any account, the edgiest music that ever went down there.

– Jim Hynes

BUY NOW

Buy Us a Cup of Coffee!

Join the movement in supporting Making a Scene, the premier independent resource for both emerging musicians and the dedicated fans who champion them.

We showcase this vibrant community that celebrates the raw talent and creative spirit driving the music industry forward. From insightful articles and in-depth interviews to exclusive content and insider tips, Making a Scene empowers artists to thrive and fans to discover their next favorite sound.

Together, let’s amplify the voices of independent musicians and forge unforgettable connections through the power of music

You can donate directly through Paypal!

Subscribe to Our Newsletter