When you think of a “solo” album, you think of a solitary musician sitting in front of a microphone and giving a series of arias. Dennis WInge makes this solo session a “group” effort, so to speak, in that he plays all of the instruments, creating sounds with his MIDI guitar, bass and various rhythmic programs. He’s busting all over with ideas, putting together over thirty, count ‘em, thirty original tunes, but he keeps your interest in a pair of ways, first by limiting the time limit of the songs to 1-3 minutes, so they never overstay their welcome, and then mixing up the time signatures a la Dave Brubeck. So, instead of the steady 4/4 groove, you keep alert with pulses ranging from 7/4, 6/4, 5/4, 13/4, 15/4 and even 19/4. Did someone consult a Greek orchestra for these tricky beats?!?
But all of the cleverness and talent means nothing if the themes and performances don’t deliver, and ye, they do. You have some tasty and laid back blues on “Back-Cycling Modulator” with nary a wasted pick, while funky keyboards and backbeats bend and snap like Reese Witherspoon on “If You Should Hesitate”. Guitar musings and exotic ideas a la Pat Metheny percolate during “Sixth Sense” and the fluid “Re Ho Bith” with some dashes of Asia on the Bodhi tree’d “Echolalian Fingers” and the mix of tablas and mellow synth sounds of “Rupak”. Plugged in fusion moods spark things up on the Chick COrea-ish “Afro 11” and some searing guitar work hinting at vintage Al Di Meola sizzles on “Sixth Sense”.
This is a fun disc in which if you’re a musician you can keep up with Winge’s flexibility of ideas and chops, and if you’re simply a music fan, hopefully he’ll come to town and stretch out on a few of these beauties. Stay tuned!