Sounds like…
Piano driven cinematic band musics.
The review
Gregario’s debut album ‘Whistleblowers’ is a handsomely streamlined affair. Using his piano skills are the base for his work, sprinkle in a tiny bit of synth work and bring onboard a drummer to spice it up – and you have ‘Whistleblowers’ in a nutshell.
What makes Gregario stand out is that his piano composition doesn’t really adhere to the usual contemporary modern classical approach. His work is often very structured and quite traditional – it is just he smashes it together with a huge drum kit. This, as his bio quite rightly states, makes the music feel subdued and urgent at the same time. It also allows the rhythm to really flow. Opener ‘Sinister Canister’ and ‘Ennui Minuit’ both capture this juxtaposition perfectly. The piano has gentle arpeggios and careful high octave notes but the drums are pounding away. There are dramatic moments of cinematic payoff and there is always a rewarding journey to get there. This is true of even the piano solo track ‘Song For Sasha’. To close out the album, title track ‘Whistleblower’ adds in some beautiful hand pan melodies as groundwork for a track that reminds me a little of Portico Quartet. That’s no bad mention at all as their jazztronica music is stunning and this track leans that way but with more of a neoclassical vibe.
Fans of the lighter side of GoGo Penguin, Portico Quartet and perhaps Mammal Hands would enjoy Gregario and his work. I also think fans of modern classical music will get a large kick out of it too. Whilst its closer to the tone of the modern jazz trio tropes, the music is grounded in classical theory so both sides can enjoy it. I’d be very interested to see where Gregario goes next with his music as there is great crossover potential here. ‘Whistleblowers’ is a good introduction.
Recommended track: Ennui Minuit
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Gregario - Whistleblower
