The trio-debut of pianist, composer and 2025 MacArthur Fellow, Craig Taborn with Tomeka Reid and Ches Smith has been eagerly awaited. Their approach to Dream Archives is cerebral, yet as the title suggests, a wide musical spectrum is covered as multitudes of idioms seem to be pulled from history and reconfigured to form a previously unheard sound world full of reveries. Dancing grooves and powerful lyrical accounts also arise in otherwise densely orchestrated trio interchanges. Sometimes Craig wears his influences on his sleeve, and with the trio's passes at Paul Motian's "Mumbo Jumbo" and Geri Allen's "When Kabuya Dances" two of his most important ones are paid homage to in masterful fashion. Tomeka on cello juggles with melodic lead on the one hand and a pizzicato bass bedrock on the other, coalescing - with tension - with Ches Smith's versatile sound array and Craig's comprehensive grasp of the keyboard.
Craig Taborn and Vadim Neselovskyi are two of the most acclaimed and brilliant pianists working today and here they perform a select set of Masada compositions in solo, duo and trio permutations. Created as a bonus disk for the Book Beri'ah, it is a beautiful program and highlights the incredible versatility of the Masada compositions themselves as well as and the stunning virtuosity and imaginative creativity of these two keyboard masters. Featuring pieces for solo piano, two amazing piano duets and three pieces for piano, bass and drums, Da'at is a beautiful bonus CD to the Book Beriah series.
Golden Valley is Now is a sensational supergroup a quarter century in the making. The band unites Reid Anderson (electric bass, electronics) and Dave King (acoustic and electronic drums) who make up 2/3 of the band The Bad Plus - one of the most popular contemporary acts in jazz in the past decade - with the highly acclaimed Craig Taborn (synthesizers, electric and acoustic piano). Reid Anderson, Dave King, Craig Taborn: the start of this intimate fellowship, also a narrative showing the invaluable role of friendship in music that dates back to the early 80's. At the forefront are songs based on a pop sensibility, played live without sequencers and delivered by gifted improvisers and instrumentalists, avoiding the muscular gestures of soloist free-styling and improvisatory fireworks and thus making wisdom audible: the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. They all put themselves in the service of compact songs in which the overall sound itself becomes the event. The power and magic of this musical statement lies in the modus operandi of the soloists' restraint and a precise finger-tip feeling for the textures and dynamics of the songs. The fusion of acoustic and electronic elements, resonating melodies and a punchy production aesthetic characterize the band's sound. Whether calmly fluid or eruptive, Golden Valley Is Now's finely tuned music is beautifully direct and is a declaration of love to the song.
2019 release. Hailed by The New York Times as "a state-of-the-art musical thinker" and "a quietly dazzling saxophonist," Steve Lehman has built a career creating innovative, uncompromising music that packs a visceral wallop. His signature alto sound - searing with emotional intensity and crystal clear articulation - has been featured in high-profile partnerships with Vijay Iyer, Jason Moran, and Bennie Maupin. At just 40-years-old, he has achieved wide critical acclaim - various albums have landed the #1 album of the year slots in the New York Times and the NPR Critics Poll - with groundbreaking projects that have run the gamut from melding jazz with Senegalese hip-hop to French spectral music. With his latest album, The People I Love, Lehman revisits his jazz roots, reflecting his mentorship with Jackie McLean, a giant of this music. The album features his long-running trio with drummer Damion Reid (Robert Glasper Trio) and bassist Matt Brewer (SF Jazz, Gonzalo Rubalcaba). Together, the group make their mark on Lehman's compositions and arrangements that, while seemingly impossibly complex, are executed with effortless grace and with emphasis on emotional intensity. The album is a modern day referendum on the possibilities for the alto saxophone quartet tradition for 2019 and beyond.
