Locked in a Basement by Mark Guiliana/HEERNT

Locked in a Basement

Mark Guiliana/HEERNT

Release date: 06/06/2006

Catalogue Number: RD4604

World renowned drummer Mark Guiliana established “HEERNT”, his ‘experimental-garage-jazz’ trio based out of New York, as an outlet for his compositions. In the spring of 2006, the band’s debut album, “Locked In A Basement”, was released on Razdaz Recordz and met with acclaim from both reviewers and musicians. Bill Bruford, the famous drummer (Yes, King Crimson) called the album “the most exuberant, dramatic, beautiful, sassy, genre-busting little outing that I’ve heard since I don’t know when. Quite the most brilliant record you’re going to hear for the foreseeable future, so I recommend immediate purchase. For drummers, its simply compulsory. HEERNT remains Marks main source of creative energy and is busy playing around the New York area in support of the record.”

“Locked In A Basement” is a compilation of virtuosic, groove-based electric instrumental music,  which owes much more to electronica, synth-funk and indie rock than to conventional acoustic jazz. To simplify, Guiliana plays drums, Neal Persiani plays electric bass, and Zac Colwell plays saxophones and gloriously analog Juno-60 synths; but in fact, everyone plays a variety of instruments.

The exciting title track begins with Giuliana’s typewriter percussion and transitions over an airy drumkit groove into a crisp, electronic-derived unison bass. “Nice.”, a bracing, minimalist funk tune, induces a rubbery tension with Cowell’s robot keyboard phrases against a mathematically changing drum/bass template that cleverly nudges the actual rhythm of the song. “Ocean Urchin. See Urchin Run” has Colwell’s fantastic, warbling synth over a lockstep electric bass and the leader’s tight, tense kit performance. Persiani and Guiliana are a fearless, effective rhythmic duo and the band sound is mature and cohesive.

Mark’s most notable sideman work has come alongside world-renowned jazz bassist Avishai Cohen. Mark has been a member of Avishai’s band since 2003 and has appeared on Avishai’s “Lyla”, “Continuo” and “Gently Disturbed”

It’s a slick, burning electrofunk trio.

Time Out New York

It’s a great new band, whose debut, Locked In a Basement, reveals a sonic concept unlike anyone.

All About Jazz

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