Jason Stein, Marilyn Crispell, Damon Smith, Adam Shead: spi-raling horn

  The quartet of Jason Stein, Marilyn Crispell, Damon Smith & Adam Shead is exuberant and boldly exciting on spi-raling horn. Drummer Shead is the least experienced member of the band, but he fits in beautifully, rising to the occasion with grit and rambunctious flair. Stead and the widely acclaimed bass clarinet specialist Stein had met in the recording studio before, on their 2020 duo session Synaptic Atlas. Pianist Crispell needs no introduction to anyone with a passing interest in modern piano stylists. Bassist Smith, whose Balance Point Acoustics label has several decades of releases to be proud of, has performed in free settings with such figures as John Butcher, Henry Kaiser, Frank Gratkowski, and Peter Kowald. The recording details for this date have the notation that “This is the entire studio session in the order in which it was played,” a rarity even in the realm of freely improvised music. The power and spirited interaction of these players is a testament to their distinctive individual sounds and their willingness to give utmost priority to the music of the collective. Picking favorite selections in a session like this one is a fool’s errand. Suffice to say that there are plenty of enticingly elegant and inventive passages in these instant compositions. Heartily recommended. 

Balance Point Acoustics bpaltd20020/Irritable Mystic Records IMR003; Jason Stein (bcl) Marilyn Crispell p) Damon Smith (b) Adam Shead (d); Chicago, IL, June 19, 2023; a song paid by singing/ a universe of otherwise/ the ground laid open/ saturant moon water/ so close it cut my ribs/ back and back out/ a rusted bell’s clank; 62:18. balancepointacoustics.com

Wendy Eisenberg • Damon Smith • Stefan González: Balloon Of Ruin

  A gleeful collision of noises emanated from the first-time trio of Wendy Eisenberg • Damon Smith • Stefan González when they played at Infinite Ohm, a record label in Denton, Texas. On Balloon of Ruin, guitarist Eisenberg’s thoughtful and spiky skronk, Smith’s springy and adventuresome bass, and drummer González’s tasty and often explosive drumming make for a curiously absorbing experience. Song titles like Crushed Bits of Rubbish and Swamp Asylum are a real indication of the trio’s sensibilities. A wide dynamic range, from surpassingly quiet to rip-roaring passages, result in surprising juxtapositions of sound in this wild and woolly batch of improvisations. Definitely worth a listen. 

Joan Of Bark JOB 001; limited edition cassette (sold out) + digital album; Wendy Eisenberg (g) Damon Smith (b) Stefan González (d); Denton, TX, May 1, 2022; Crushed Bits of Rubbish/ Nutmeg Resin/ Swamp Asylum/ Filth Clogging Audibly/ A Single Bite of Sweet Potato/ Half a Liver/ Balloon of Ruin; 46:46. joanofbark.bandcamp.com/album/balloon-of-ruin