This unusual jazz album gets
off to an appropriately unconventional start with “Sea Of Uncertainty,” which
is an interesting vocal piece that feels like the spiritual warm-up at an alien
church at the edge of reality. A strange way to start the album, to be sure,
particularly for a drummer. But it has an arresting sound, working to pull us
in and leave off whatever else is going on around us. This short piece is
followed by “The Curve,” which starts off as a pleasant, smooth tune, and soon
becomes exciting, almost dangerous, as the horns take us into another place,
until you’re not certain what’s around the bend. What peril are those horns
summoning, bringing upon us? There is plenty of great work on drums, as well as
some wonderful stuff on keys. It is interesting how on this album the vocals
are used as another instrument, expressing much, but not in words, particularly
on a track like “Little Prayer.” This one is beautiful, especially that stunning
section with vocals and bass. The song then builds again from there, going in
another direction, the horn becoming the dominant voice, taking us on a journey.
And then we’re in some distant, dark area of the ocean with “Levian,” a track
with a lonesome quality, and I am unsure whether we’re drowning or floating. I
love those deep bass notes, vibrating in my chest, and I’m hopeful.
“Industry” is a strange and
compelling track. When it begins, it feels nothing like its title, but rather
like an organic celebration on a beach or somewhere, with a strong human
quality. But then other elements are added, and seem to intrude, an eerie
combination of sounds and realms. I love the juxtaposition. It feels like it’s
shifting into nightmare territory as it continues, as it becomes unhinged, as
it comes apart, and we fall into the holes left behind, warped and lost. Then “Stino”
establishes a groovy and delicious rhythm on bass and drums. This one feels
like pure fun, perhaps to bring us all back together after the previous track,
and it features some nice vocal work. That is followed by “Wolves Gather Under
A Winter Moon,” a track that warns of the possibility of danger, reminding us
we are out of our element.
“Spellbound” is the only track
on this album to have lyrics, yet interestingly has an improvised feel. The
words come slowly, with a dreamlike quality, fitting the song’s title: “In the night/When the darkness surrounds her/She
slowly descends from the stairs/That lead to the ballroom.” This song takes on a romantic sound when the
horn leads, its beauty holding us close. That’s followed by “Camels In The Sky,”
which at first like it could be the theme to some cool 1960s detective
television program. And then it just gets better from there, sometimes with a
wonderfully loose vibe. The vocals in “Strange Glow” have an odd, unsettling
feel, and work in contrast to the bass, which keeps us grounded in some
semblance of normalcy, creating an interesting dynamic. The album concludes
with “Run,” which takes tentative steps into an uncertain world, though the
brushes on the snare somehow keep us moving forward, not as frightened or
worried as we might be otherwise. Onward!
CD Track List
- Sea Of Uncertainty
- The Curve
- Little Prayer
- Levian
- Industry
- Stino
- Wolves Gather Under A Winter Moon
- Spellbound
- Camels In The Sky
- Strange Glow
- Run
Discovery was released on January 23, 2019.
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