“Forcing yourself to use restricted means is the sort of restraint that liberates invention. It obliges you to make a kind of progress that you can’t even imagine in advance.” Pablo Picasso

“Wide Angle” is a new collaboration between John McCutcheon, Nick Lyons and Gene Perla. The “restricted means” mentioned is the absence of a chord instrument like guitar or piano. Having opened all that aural space where the chords used to live has the effect of taking a picture out of the frame and moving it around to get another perspective.

It’s interesting that 8 of the 10 songs on this CD are from the 1930’s and 1940’s. A good song is a good song no matter when it was written. Hearing them in this format is like finding a box of old snapshots and watching them develop back and forth from black and white to color and back again. Evoking distant memories and creating new ones as the songs progress.

John and Nick started working together in 2006 in Brooklyn’s rich jazz scene encouraged by the great pianist/teacher Connie Crothers. When not playing with Crothers they had groups with Lorenzo Sanguedolce on tenor, Adam Lane on bass and Adam Caine on guitar among others. Gene’s credits include bands with Don Alias, Nina Simone and Elvin Jones landmark LP “Live at The Lighthouse,” a precursor to the spirit of this CD.

There’s a lot of joy emanating from these tracks. The shared excitement of discovering new people who love what you love and know how to express it. When you hear it you can experience it too.

James Gilheany
November 2021