Sunny by Conclave

Conclave is a gathering.
Conclave is a coming together.
Conclave is con clave, a unifying rhythm that is the key to unlock dances ancient and contemporary.
Conclave is Cesar Toribio and Scott Scribner, multi-instrumentalists whose alchemy is evident in the ebb and flow of their compositions, paradoxes of the delicate and powerful inextricably woven around the rhythm.

After a dozen live shows over the past couple years, the Brooklyn-based group take their first steps on vinyl with an impassioned cover of the soul standard “Sunny,” a song whose Latin Disco pedigree makes it the perfect canvas for the Dominican+New Yorker collaborators. An ethereal gospel choir lifts Toribio’s heartfelt vocals over twining guitar and keys that gradually build and eventually bubble over to ride a churning bass line into the heavens — Paradise, in this case, being a funked-up extended instrumental jam on the groove.

Seven Davis Jr. joins the circle for a flip side remix that is nothing short of stunning. Languidly paced, the sparse mix gradually grows in intensity with an unforced charm that lends a startling drama to the entrance of the rippling bassline a full three minutes in. When the keys finally arrive like a burst of light thru the clouds, the door to the dance has been fully thrown open and the listener’s transformation from bystander to part of the conclave is complete.

The release of “Sunny” is rounded out with an acapella, available on vinyl and digital, an enticement for future collaborators, perhaps. Conclave’s debut album will touch down summer 2020, but this Most Excellent 12-inch is certain to hold you over till then, and beyond.

Conclave is a live musical assembly of rotating musicians headed by multi-instrumentalist Cesar Toribio in which alchemy is evident in the ebb and flow of its compositions, seductive juxtapositions of the delicate and powerful inextricably woven around the living, breathing rhythm.

conclavemusic.com