Sweeter Than the Day is:
Wayne Horvitz - Piano
Tim Young - Guitar
Keith Lowe - Bass
Eric Eagle - Drums
"On piano, Horvitz is economical yet lyrical, never venturing far from the strong melodic hooks which characterize his compositions, but constantly working small surprises. An irresistible antidote to gray days."
- The Wire, UK
".... a great showcase for Horvitz's beautiful compositions, his really strange angular chord progressions."
- Ned Wharton, NPR's Weekend Edition
A Walk In the Dark is the first studio release from Sweeter Than the Day since it’s eponymous CD from 2002. Wayne Horvitz notes, "I’ve been wrapped up in a lot of other works, including some large ensemble projects, an opera of sorts, and CDs including "Solos" and two CDs from my other Quartet, the Gravitas Ensemble. That being said, Sweeter Than the Day has been consistently touring and performing, and remains one of my favorite projects of all time."
The CD features 11 new originals, showcasing Sweeter Than the Day’s signature blend of Horvitz’ unique and understated harmonic language, Tim Young’s brilliant and beautiful solos, and the group interplay that the band is so well known for. "This is more of a playing record", says Horvitz. "It isn’t live, but it’s a lot closer to that feeling than on "Forever" or "Sweeter Than the Day" - a little looser and a little edgier: it’s got more up-tempo tunes and we stretch more. Tim does some things that just knock my socks off. We actually recorded this the same week I recorded the new Gravitas CD, and we do three or four of the same tunes. The contrast is fantastic between the two bands, and I am blessed to have not one, but two ensembles bringing so much life to my pieces."
Some of that edge can be heard on "The 29th Day of May", despite its gentle theme, as well as "A Moment for Andrew" (for pianist Andrew Hill), and "Between The Floors", both featuring a mutated swing feel driven by newest member Eric Eagle (drums). Other highlights include Tim Young’s blues groove on "A Walk in the Rain", two gorgeous ballads, "Good Shepherd" and "Undecided", and the lovely "Waltz from Woman of Tokyo", excerpted from a score for the silent film of the same name by the iconic Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu.
Sweeter Than the Day has three additional releases: "American Bandstand" (now re-titled "Forever") (2000) and "Sweeter Than the Day" (2002), both on the Songlines label, in addition to "Live at the Rendezvous, Seattle 2004" (2004) on Kufala Recordings. Formed in 1999, Sweeter Than the Day began simply as the acoustic incarnation of Zony Mash. The band played weekly shows at Seattle's Baltic Room, and quickly became Wayne Horvitz’s first piano based ensemble in over 10 years. The band has toured throughout the US, Canada and Europe.
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