BrhyM - Deep Sea Vaults

I recently discovered this group while wandering around the musical landscape that is Bruce Hornsby. Back in my college days Bruce Hornsby was a radio celebrity with Bruce Hornsby and The Range. “The Way It Is” - his biggest hit - topped the Billboard charts in 1986. Shortly after “Mandolin Rain” also from The Way It Is charted at #4. The Bruce Hornsby sound was and is defined by his piano work. “The Way It Is” has an iconic piano riff that is still in everyone’s head. Truly great rock music.

Hornsby could have stopped and joined the jukebox circuit playing his radio hits for adoring crowds. That is decidedly not what he did. Instead, he became the touring pianist with The Grateful Dead. If you know The Dead you understand the challenges of playing constantly changing, improvised music. Hornsby blended into the ensemble, did great things and seemingly had a great time.

Fast-forward to the 2010s. Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers decide to play The Lied Center in Lawrence, KS. My wife and I had just had a great time at a Kansas reunion concert there, and I had not heard of The Noisemakers, so I checked out Tidal. Listening to The Way It Is seemed a great way to spend an evening.

Pam and I both agree that was the greatest evening of music we’ve ever seen. Hands down. Three encores, music that was equally challenging and uplifting. Nothing ordinary, but nothing dissonant. Bruce Hornsby emerged fully formed from the Dead. Literally. The Noisemakers were fantastic, and I recommend any of their albums.

Here I’m listening to Deep Sea Vents from Brhym, a collaboration between Bruce Hornsby and yMusic, one of my favorite classical ensembles. This just could not be a bad thing, so I went straight to the big system at home. If I were to make music again, this is the kind of music I would like to make. I have no illusions that I could, but a guy can dream, right?

“The Wild Whaling Life” opens the album with what one can only call a modern folk song. The story of, well, a whaler. The trumpet work is brief, but brilliant.

“Theory of Everything” is a more challenging listen with a bit more dissonance and modern phrasing. “Platypus Wow” even more so. But Hornsby does a great job of mixing the difficult with the soothing. I’ve always said that great art creates and resolves dissonance. Deep Sea Vaults does exactly that at an album level and “Phase Change” brings us back to more tonal, classically inspired work.

Skipping forward, “The Baited Line” is a gorgeous, modern folk tune. Haunting trumpet and Hornsby-esque harmonies. While I would not call this Celtic music in any real way, the use of whistles and fiddle draw from that tradition in a truly beautiful way.

I am remiss in not mentioning yMusic to this point. They are co-equal with Hornsby. Modern classical music is among my favorite genres and yMusic are masters.

“Deep Sea Vents” closes the album with a Dixieland inspired feel. Not what I expected, but somehow a fitting close.

Give Deep Sea Vents a listen. Definitely worth your time and different in a way that will compel you.