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THE BUZZ!
This magical, profoundly musical release embraces more aesthetic influences than one might have thought a cohesive recording could. Drawing upon jazz, classical and Eastern European folkloric languages, among others, “By a Little Light” at first seduces the ear through its unusual instrumentation: jazz trio plus vibraphone, glockenspiel and classical chamber instrumentation (performed by members of the ensemble eighth blackbird and others) But it’s what Chicago bassist Ulery has written for these instruments that counts most, his compositions sometimes sublimely melodic, sometimes hypnotically repetitive but always exquisitely arranged. The second of the album’s two CDs features the haunting vocals of Polish-born, Chicago-based singer Grazyna Auguscik, accompanied by Ulery’s enchanting, genre-defying extended ensemble. Though Ulery clearly felt strongly enough about this material to join her on vocals, the nondescript quality of his singing suggests the recording would have been stronger without this contribution. Even so, the originality and purling beauty of this release cannot be overstated.
– Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
By A Little Light receives 4 1/2 Stars in July's Downbeat Magazine
“I am most impressed by the pure emotion captured on this recording.
By A Little Light is an outpouring of feeling.” – Dave Douglas
"The music is composed but with room for expressionistic display, somewhat spiritually kin to Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society but on a smaller scale. But many of the tracks on the second disc feature vocals, putting the music closer to a kind of art-song-ish pop that fans of Tom Waits or Fiona Apple might enjoy."
-Burning Ambulence
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