Joey Berkley’s “Alamo,” begins with a superb swing as pristine as it is entrancing, but don’t be fooled by its soft intro. In less than a few minutes’ time, Berkley’s concept will be joined by a symphony of textured melodies courtesy of different melodic componentry beside the leading sax parts that could move a mountain all by themselves. Even without the assistance of any synthetic components whatsoever, the monolithic nature of the music in this track is supremely potent, easy to get lost in, and above all else, quite expressive. “Alamo” is a Jazz ballad composed in honor of the genre’s most compelling foundations, but more than that, it’s a surreal way of getting to know a deeply gifted player on his continued success.
As we get deeper into the song, it becomes clear that Berkley didn’t compose this track strictly to highlight his amazing compositional abilities. What starts as a cut-and-dry harmony quickly evolves into something much grander in shape and style – from the lush melody of the sax to the cutting commentary of the bassline, we’re enveloped in sonic warmth before we even realize what’s transpiring here. The mix is progressively designed to push us towards the edge of our seats the further down this path we go, and by the time we reach the most complicated instrumental juncture in “Alamo,” there’s no escaping the glow of the band’s connective play.
There’s certainly no shortage of bassline indulgence in both crossover Jazz and straight instrumental pop these days, and perhaps by steering clear of that sort of excess,
“Alamo” distinguishes itself all the more as an exceptional indie product. Nothing in this track sounds remotely mechanical or manufactured; instead, it’s clear from the get-go just how invested Joey Berkley is in his subject matter. His love of the Jazz school is surpassed only by his passion for this medium, and that’s more than obvious when listening to this fine example of one of his many works.
Now is a particularly good time to be a fan of independent music, extraordinary indie musicians and thanks to the hard work of masters like Joey Berkley, I think the soundtrack of the 2023’s could be even more exciting than that of the preceding decade by leaps and bounds. We can’t wait to hear more from this amazing New York talent!
Garth Thomas