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Rating:
New effort from the talented saxophonist J.B. Lewis, who presents himself here in a trio with Chris Hoffman (cello & electronics) and Max Jaffe (percussion), only to later expand the ensemble with the addition of cornetist Kirk Knukkle in a couple of pieces. The result is a group with a powerful sound: a broad and pulsating musicality, enriched by electronic textures, expertly guided by the tenor player who proceeds with "carved" phrases of great intensity, navigating through torrential and burning moments before finding a melodic and singable line, without ever losing the thread of contemporary jazz.
It starts strong with the short and edgy almost-funky opening of «Foreground» (there will be two more of these “interludes” - «Middle Ground» and «Background» - as if marking three chapters of a single story) before moving on to a beautiful quartet version of «Someday We’ll Be Free», a cover of a seventies classic by soul-man Donny Hathaway with Knukkle’s trumpet prominently featured, as in the other quartet piece («Even The Sparrow») in a tantalizing interaction with the tenor, against the almost chanting backdrop of the cello and great percussion support.
In the album’s framework and in the leader's lexicon, there's no shortage of references to the greats of classic free-jazz: thus Ornette Coleman («The Blues Still Blossoms»); John Coltrane - and also Albert Ayler - for the title track; and Cecil Taylor for a reworking of his «Womb Water».
However, my preference goes to the final piece («Fear Not») in an extra-large lineup where - on a circular theme - the post-punk trio of the Messthetics (Joe Lally on bass; Brendan Canty, drums, and Anthony Pirog, guitar) joins the leader's basic trio, in a clash-meeting resulting in a successful “fusion” of the two aesthetics.
The album’s graphics are not particularly interesting (in fact, a bit unsettling in the cover image), yet it includes the necessary technical details (album recorded in 2021 and released only two years later) and musicians, accompanied by a short poem by our JBL (phonetically including the track titles) and an introduction signed by Thurston Moore (if I'm not mistaken, former guitarist of Sonic Youth).
Those who appreciated the previous album “Jesup Wagon” will find a beautiful confirmation here; for everyone else, an important and recommended album.
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