Dennis González Yells At Eels - Cape of Storms

Michael Rosenstein, Signal To Noise

Intrepid trumpeter/cornetist Dennis González with Yells at Eels, his collective group with sons Aaron and Stefan and a revolving roster of guests. This time out, the three are joined by New Orleans tenor player Tim Green and guest drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo, whom the elder González played with back in the late '80s. While the leader tart tone and mellifluous phrasing are central to this music, it is truly a collective effort. The set flows between various solo segments for all the members, sub-groupings, and full-bore collective playing. With Moholo-Moholo aboard, Stefan González spends a lot of his time on mallet instruments and percussion: on "Document for Walt Dickerson," for instance, the metallic sheen of the vibes accentuates the earthy trumpet and Aaron González's full-bodied, booming bass. Dennis González plays with a soulful free lyricism full of wistful smears and muted cries, taking the simple themes and pushing them to stirring heights, and he also enrichies the textures by doubling on percussion. Yells at Eels have developed into a heady collective unit and these sessions with Green and Moholo-Mohlo are another in a string of strong releases by the group.