Search - Walton Ornato :: Magic Mountain

On Magic Mountain, the members of Walton Ornato have devised an antidote to the tedium of everyday life. The softly seductive Latin beats and silky melodies of the band's sixteen original compositions, blur sound and sensation into one glorious mirage, creating the aural equivalent of a romantic island escape.It all begins with the sun-drenched optimism of the title cut. On ballads like Watercolor and Manhattan Beach, the soulful saxophone solos of Leo Gandelman soar over the thoughtful piano improvisations of Walton Berger and the artfully subdued ethnic rhythms of percussionist Negrito Trasante. The temperature rises on Latin scorchers like Sambadoa when bassist/guitarist Kzan Gamma trades lines with guitarist Phil Yosta, and the funk gets thick on High Energy. For the most part, however, the musicians are content to float through the oceanic, medium tempo grooves that have come to characterize their richly eclectic, tropical jazz style. On Magic Mountain, Walton Ornato's sophisticated alchemy of Latin fire, classical elegance and contemporary jazz finesse is indeed magical.