Henry Threadgill Zooid: Cut You Where You Was & Henry Threadgill, Vijay Iyer, & Dafnis Prieto: Fifteen

     Beginning with Air, back in the mid-Seventies, the music of Henry Threadgill has always confused me - but in a good way. His compositions are consistently thought-provoking, particularly about the nature of music itself. Wherever his pieces start, there’s no way to know where they are going to end up, or how they’ll get there. It’s one of the many ways that improvisational music has expanded over time into a more open-ended musical space, in contrast to the close-ended format of head-solo(s)-head. Like many composer/improvisers, Threadgill often has a number of projects in the works. One of his bands is Henry Threadgill Zooid, a quintet with Threadgill on alto sax and flutes, Liberty Ellman on acoustic guitar, Jose Davila on tuba and trombone, Christopher Hoffman on cello and Eliot Humberto Kavee on drums. Zooid last recorded in late 2019 (Poof), and it’s back with Cut You Where You Was. Hoffman has been a member of Zooid for 15 years and the other musicians even longer. That kind of dedication is uncommon and it testifies to the absorbing allure of Threadgill’s music. A succinct outing at just under 36 minutes, the music on Cut You Where You Was is as brash and inventive as ever. Most of the pieces tend to emphasize the ensemble’s work as a unit. Red Admiral Red Moon Rising, by far the longest piece on the disc at 12:21, is the one track that gives the players plenty of room for imaginative solo work. Hoffman is up first, Threadgill follows with a typically knotty and mildly aggressive solo on alto, and then guitarist Ellman, who also produced and mixed the album, takes over before a suitably surprising finish. Davila, on tuba, and Kavee provide robust support. On the second half of the disc, Zooid presents 5 pieces, each under 2 minutes in length. That's about the capacity of the Edison cylinder, the earliest form of widely-distributed recorded sounds. As Threadgill notes, “You can’t take your time to get to the point because there won’t be a second chorus ...” These gem-like miniatures explore Threadgill’s compositional and arrangement strategies in a new way. Cut You Where You Was is another enigmatic and provocative release from this singular figure in creative music. 

Pi Recordings PI114; Henry Threadgill (as, fl, bass fl) Liberty Ellman (ac g) Jose Davila (tba, tbn) Christopher Hoffman (clo) Elliot Humberto Kavee (d); NYC, June 23-24, 2025 or *Brooklyn, NY, June 25, 2025; Flouroscope*/ Bingo Pat 1*/ Bingo Pat 2*/ Bingo Pat 3*/ Bingo Pat 4*/ Red Admiral Red Moon Rising*/ Blur/ Off and On What Happened/ Lightnin’/ Snow Bones/ Wind at My Back; 35:53. pirecordings.com

     The trio of Henry Threadgill, Vijay Iyer, & Dafnis Prieto first performed for a fundraiser at the Jazz Gallery in New York in 2012. They have periodically reconvened at the Jazz Gallery, and they’ve toured nationally and internationally. Over that time, they’ve achieved a state of deep empathy in their music, as clearly demonstrated on Fifteen, their very first release. With three of Threadgill’s originals, another three compositions by Iyer, and a pair by Prieto, this is very much a group effort. Threadgill on alto sax and flute is prominent in the mix, complemented by Iyer’s complex and jagged piano lines, and buoyed by the imaginative percussion work of Prieto. The trio’s music is focused and distinctly interactive, with each member of the trio soloing and listening to the other players at the same time. Particular highlights in this bountiful program include the drums and piano duet that’s the centerpiece of Threadgill’s Trio Piece, Iyer’s dynamic and emotionally wrought Fire City, and Prieto’s On the Way, a furiously upbeat number that features some harsh and forceful alto from Threadgill. It took a long time for this band to get into a studio, but it was more than worth the wait. Heartily recommended. 

Nonesuch 7559789247; Henry Threadgill (as, fl) Vijay Iyer (p) Dafnis Prieto (d); Mt. Vernon, NY, November 15-16, 2025; Trio Piece/ Last Night/ I Wanted a Map/ Where Coconuts Fall/ Gently Trapped/ Fire City/ Perfect Victims/ On the Way; 47:46. www.nonesuch.com
 

Two From Giant Step Arts: The Phoenix Trio & Dave Adewumi

        The Phoenix Trio is tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer Marcus Gilmore. The cooperative unit’s first release is Tomorrow Is Today, a live set featuring compositions by each of the band members. Turner, who has the highest profile of the three, contributes one piece, the alluring 1946. Gilmore also has one tune in the program, the chipper and bouncy Harvest. The other four tunes are by the expressive bassist Martin, whose pieces are designed to provoke the spirited interplay that this band displays at every turn. Turner and Martin go as far back as the mid-Nineties, and Gilmore has recorded frequently with Martin since 2008. So the comfort level is high among these three improvisers, and so is the palpable rapport they exhibit in front of the audience at Ornithology, a club in Brooklyn. Giant Step Arts, a non-profit that, in their words, is “a one-of-a-kind collaboration between forward thinking musicians and Jimmy Katz” has been recording its artists in live settings. That’s the best way to showcase a group’s energy and dynamics, and Katz and James Kogan do a superb job, with a suitably live and spatial feel to the end product. Among the many highlights of this performance are Turner’s intricately thoughtful solo on Martin’s The Fencer and his quiet accompaniment to Martin’s own solo, the poised alignment of the trio on Martin’s Lioness, the absorbing quarter-hour conversation of Martin’s title track, and the entrancing bass and drums duet towards the end of Safe. I expect we’ll be hearing much more from The Phoenix Trio in the future, and they’re off to a superb start with Tomorrow Is Today. Recommended. 

Giant Step Arts GSA 20; Mark Turner (ts) Joe Martin (b) Marcus Gilmore (d); Brooklyn, NY, March 23-24, 2025; The Fencer/ Lioness/ 1946/ Harvest/ Tomorrow is Today/ Safe; 65:42. www.giantsteparts.org

    Another Giant Step Arts artist, trumpeter Dave Adewumi makes his debut as a leader with The Flame Beneath The Silence. The main thing you need to know is that this cat can play. At different moments on this club date, he evokes such trumpet masters as Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, and Wadada Leo Smith, among others. He also composes, and all the pieces here are originals. He can be quiet as on Infinite Loop or the brief Pensive, be intricate and edgy on The Vine, or be boldly assertive (with a Freddie Hubbard flair) on the album’s longest track, If I Need to Do This Again I’m Going to Throw a Fit. While it’s not all that common for a trumpeter to be the only horn in his first outing as a leader, Adewumi’s command of the horn and his self-assurance make The Flame Beneath The Silence a debut to be savored. It certainly helps that he’s assembled a superb band with Joel Ross on vibes, Linda May Han Oh on bass, and Marcus Gilmore on drums. Worthy of note are Oh’s delicate solo on If I Need to Do This Again I’m Going to Throw a Fit and Gilmore’s dynamic drumming and Ross’ bluesy solo on The Light You Left Behind, but the concentrated energy of their accompaniment is evident in every bar. Dave Adewumi is the most exciting new trumpeter I’ve run across in a while, and The Flame Beneath The Silence is a strong contender for debut release of the year. Warmly recommended. 

Giant Step Arts GSA 19; Dave Adewumi (tpt) Joel Ross (vib) Linda May Han Oh (b) Marcus Gilmore (d); Brooklyn, NY, July 6-7, 2024; The Flame Beneath the Silence/ Is/ Abandon/ Breach the Gap/ Infinite Loop/ Pensive/ The Vine/ Out Cry/ If I Need to Do This Again I’m Going to Throw a Fit/ The Light That You Left Behind; 46:42. www.giantsteparts.org

Satoko Fujii & Myra Melford: Katarahi

 

   The two-piano format has never been a favorite of mine, but maybe I haven’t listened to the right players. Pianist/composers Satoko Fujii & Myra Melford joined one another on stage at a jazz festival in Austria, and the distilled results of their appearance is preserved on Katarahi. The album title is a Japanese word, meaning a heart-to-heart conversation between intimate friends, a beautiful concept and the clearest way to characterize the musical flow of their music. As Fujii says to Ed Hazell for his liner notes, “We both write a lot, and I enjoy playing her compositions.” Melford comments that “She’s so present in the moment that it’s easy to connect and build the music together.” That’s exactly what they do, utilizing a quartet of Melford’s pieces, a trio of Fujii’s, and a whole lot of intuitive improvisation. Almost silent at times, and poundingly intense the next, the music of Katarahi never fails to surprise and delight. Not to be missed. 

RogueArt ROG-0149; Satoko Fujii, Myra Melford (p); Leibnitz, Austria, September 24, 2024; Interlude I/ Signpost/ Pairs/ Chalk/ Kaiwa/ IV/ From Sometime; 51:38. www.roguart.com

Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp/William Parker/Bobby Kapp: Synesthesia

    The free improvisers Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, William Parker, & Bobby Kapp present just over an hour of thoroughly engaged and telepathically connected instant compositions on Synesthesia. The title refers to a perceptual phenomenon where, in its simplest form, one sensory experience (color, for example) stimulates an involuntary experience of another type (like a musical note). Although the incidence of synesthesia in the general population is small, as Wikipedia tells us, “synesthetes are very likely to participate in creative activities.” These five lengthy improvisations, undoubtedly titled after the fact, refer to synesthetic experiences, like First Color Heard, Blue Taste, and the closing One Sense. The myriad connections among these veteran performers would take up way too much space. Just from listening, it should be clear to anyone that these four imaginative players and profound listeners have achieved a lofty level of spontaneous creation. There is so much at work in this music that it merits frequent listening and relistening to fully grasp the exquisite intensity of Synesthesia. The prolific Perelman frequently uses a duo format, which creates one sort of conversational dynamic. The quartet setting, in this traditional tenor sax plus rhythm section format, suggests a more careful and mildly restrained approach to the music. Here that’s all to the good. In parts of First Color Heard, for instance, Perelman seems to channel jazz phraseology from the past, at times sounding like Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, of all people. Kapp’s delicate brushwork on Afterglow is the perfect complement to Shipp’s tender piano stylings and Parker’s calm bass lines, giving Perelman all the space he needs to rev things up. The jumpy One Sense, the longest track of the session, is an uptempo scorcher at first before it turns to a more contemplative mood to end the disc. The only thing to do is take a breather, and start listening again from the beginning. Totally recommended! 

defkaz records; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p) William Parker (b) Bobby Kapp (d); Brooklyn NY, December 2024; First Color Heard/ Phosphene/ Blue Taste/ Afterglow/ One Sense; 61:55. defkaz.bandcamp.com

Matt Slocum: A Revolving Alliance

     Drummer/composer Matt Slocum brings together guitarist Emmanuel Michael and veteran Larry Grenadier on bass for A Revolving Alliance. The title track leads things off, and “revolving alliance” is an apt metaphor for the band’s energetic interactions. The blend of Michael’s effects-laden guitar, Grenadier’s fluid bass, and Slocum’s sensitive drumming is captivating from the very start. With the focus continually shifting, the listener has a number of ways to listen as the music unfolds. The inter-generational lineup is an energizing force in this trio. Bassist Grenadier is the eldest, with hundreds of credits since his first appearance on a recording by pianist Larry Vuckovich in 1983. Drummer/leader Slocum, just two when Grenadier went into the studio for the first time, made his debut as a leader in 2011 with After The Storm. A Revolving Alliance is hie fourth release for Sunnyside, and Grenadier has been aboard for all of them. Guitarist Michael, younger still, has only burst on the scene in the last few years, recording with the likes of Dayna Stephens, Marcus Gilmore, and Gregory Hutchinson. Although the program includes some up-tempo burners, like the title track and the surging Two Dragons, with a terrific drum solo by Slocum, much of A Revolving Alliance offers gently atmospheric pieces, like Yerazel with some beautifully delicate playing by Michael and an absorbing bass solo by Grenadier, and A Disappearing Path, largely a feature for Michael’s ethereal guitar stylings. I’ve only heard a couple of the sessions the guitarist has worked on, so it’s a particular pleasure to listen to his innovative playing in the relatively austere context of a trio. A very rewarding disc, and well worth revisiting often. Happily recommended. 

Sunnyside SSC 1810; Emmanuel Michael (g) Larry Grenadier (b) Matt Slocum (d); NYC, March 21, 2025; A Revolving Alliance/ Yerazel/ A Disappearing Path/ New Dream/ Two Dragons/ Solstice/ A Dissolving Alliance; 41:09. sunnysiderecords.com

Ivo Perelman/Nate Wooley/Matt Moran/Mark Helias/Tom Rainey: A Modicum of the Blues

     A Modicum of the Blues by a quintet of Ivo Perelman, Nate Wooley, Matt Moran, Mark Helias and Tom Rainey starts out with the familiar-sounding cautious bleeps and bleats of a free jazz ensemble, which slowly develops into a busy soundscape. It’s every man for himself, usually with just a hint of the blues to be heard. Sometimes it feels like a rehearsal for a song that no one seems to know, but the musicians are happy to wing it just the same. Things get pretty stormy around the eight minute mark in Part 1, driven by Rainey’s energetic drumming, with Moran’s vibes peeking in and out of the mix as a relatively calm presence in the general tumult. The music then settles right down, as if the wildness of the last few minutes has drained everyone’s energy. Perelman has recorded duet sessions with Moran, Wooley, and Rainey. Helias and Rainey have worked often together in the last 36 years, including a trio session with Perelman and a quartet date that added pianist Matt Shipp. Combining all those talents into creating a cohesive statement as this session does, is to underscore the way that Perelman casts his sessions. When Perelman and Wooley open Part 3 with a display of matching high notes, followed by Helias’ bowed bass and Moran’s bell-like vibes, it’s their previous associations that provide the foundation for their mutual interactions in this larger setting. In the true spirit of free playing, Rainey lays out for the first minutes before introducing a busy rhythm that gooses the improvisation along. The blues feeling is most pronounced in Part 4, introduced by Helias’ firm bass lines and soon picked up by an alternately growling and soaring Wooley with delicate touches from Moran and Rainey. Part 5 leads off with bass and saxophone duet that starts out with heads figuratively butting before slowly dovetailing into a more subdued encounter as the rest of the ensemble comes into the picture. Notable in this piece is a dialog between Rainey’s drums and Moran’s vibes, with Helias’ bass happily caught in the middle. At the same moment, Perelman and Wooley rejoin the fray for the final few minutes of Part 5, with Perelman getting the last word as everyone else drops out. A Modicum of the Blues is a stellar example of the ethos of totally free improvisation in a small group context. Recommended. 

Fundacja Słuchaj; Nate Wooley (tpt) Ivo Perelman (ts) Matt Moran (vib) Mark Helias (b) Tom Rainey (d); Brooklyn, NY, May 2024; A Modicum Of Blues part 1-5; 46:43. sluchaj.bandcamp.com

Phillip Golub: Partisan Ship

      Descriptions like busy, complex, and synth-driven only begin to characterize keyboardist and composer Phillip Golub’s latest project, the boldly inventive Partisan Ship. To broaden the instrumental range of the music, Golub has enlisted the talents of some of the forward-looking musicians in New York City, including saxophonists Anna Webber, Yuma Uesaka and David Leon, trumpeter Amir ElSaffar, and 5-string violinist Layale Chaker. Each of them drops in the mix here and there to contribute a solo. The spare but effective soloing by ElSaffar, who’s feeling quite at home in the electronic haze on loyalty oath, alto saxophonist Leon and Chaker on the murky and vaguely Middle Eastern blue-orange reflections, and Anna Webber, throaty and angular on cries of the initiated, are worth noting. But the real star of the show is the rhythm section, with Golub with his Flexichord virtual piano and synthesizers, Elias Stemeseder and his synthesizers, bassist Sam Minaie and percussionist Jon Starks. Together, they create a densely textured symphony of beeps, bloops, mini-explosions, ghostly piano tinkling, and much more. Since the individual tracks all run into the next piece without a pause, the three-quarters of an hour running time of Partisan Ship is seemingly designed to be listened from start to finish. While I’m especially fond of the tricky rhythms of loyalty oath, the glorious cacophony of cries of the initiated and the warped ballad utopian micronation, it’s the overall effect that is especially impressive. Partisan Ship is a fascinating album, and is heartily recommended. 

Berthold Records; Phillip Golub (Flexichord virtual piano, Behringer Neutron, Arturia Digital synths) Yuma Uesaka (cl, bcl, cbcl, ts, bass ‘clariflute’ on 1, 3, 5, 8, 10) Amir ElSaffar (tpt on 1, 3, 5, 9) Anna Webber (fl, ts on 3,5,8) David Leon (as on 7,9) Layale Chaker (5-string violin on 7) Elias Stemeseder (Prophet VI, Moog Minitaur, Modular Synths on 1,3,5,6) Sam Minaie (b on 3,5,8) Jon Starks (d, sensory perc, snaps, drum machine on 1-3, 5, 7-10; elec on 2); Brooklyn, NY & NYC, no dates specified; 1 loyalty oath/2 interlude (aboard)/ 3 partisan ship/ 4 interlude (adorn)/ 5 mutiny meeting/ 6 interlude (adrift)/ 7 blue-orange reflections/ 8 cries of the initiated/ 9 utopian micronation/ 10 afterword: partisan session; 44:46. phillipgolub.bandcamp.com