Thanks to his friends and people inspired by his uncompromising approach to soulful music, Phil Asher‘s place in history seems assured. No one could have ignored the catalog anyway, but a series of very high-level tributes flooded the market in the second half of 2021 from Phlash’s friends and colleagues, who ensured no one would forget that a musical giant once stalked the Earth and left behind a staggering legacy for future artists to grapple with.
This project on Visions is among one of the best, Spearheaded by Stephane Attias, the Journey To The Light / Illusion EP brought together Attias in separate collaborations with Trinidadian Deep and longtime Asher collaborator and friend Mark de Clive-Lowe in a pair of top-tier tracks. On “Journey To The Light,” Attias and Trinidadian Deep compose a dazzling fanfare — a deeply textured jazz shakedown with beautiful keys. One could say almost exactly the same about “Illusion,” the collaboration with Mark de Clive-Lowe, with rich percussion, broken beats and a fluid turn on the keys. This is not mournful, not in the least. It’s a celebration, in the tradition of the New Orleans jazz musicians that would play their fallen colleagues off, from the church to the gothic cemetery one final time.
Stephane Attias, Trinidadian Deep & Mark de Clive-Lowe: Journey To The Light / Illusion (Visions Inc / 12″ Vinyl / Digital / September 2021)
1. Stephane Attias: “Journey to the Light” with Trinidadian Deep (07:48)
2. Stephane Attias: “Illusion” with Mark the Clive-Lowe (07:22)
⚪️ Disclosure Statement: This record was not submitted as a promo.
