Ellie Pruneau

Amanda Gardier: Flyover Country

by Dan McClenaghan
April 25, 2020

Saxophonist Amanda Gardier's sophomore recording, Flyover Country, opens with her original, “Midwestern Gothic," a tune which shifts between serene reveries and pronouncements so bold they could fit--switch out the acoustic rhythm section and the saxophone for some muscular, loud electric guitars--into an in-you-face heavy metal band. A fine way to open the show. Gardier pares things down in comparison to her debut, Empathy (Green Mind Records, 2018), where she employed a larger ensemble. The quartet approach suits her, ...