Trevor

Trevor Dunn - Nocturnes (2019) {Tzadik TZ 4028}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 173 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 111 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 2019 Tzadik | TZ 4028 | Tzadik Spectrum Series
Classical / Contemporary Classical / Jazz / Third Stream / Double Bass

Tzadik is proud to present the first CD of classical chamber music by Downtown powerhouse Trevor Dunn. Bassist, composer, bandleader and arranger, Dunn has been a mainstay of dozens of high-profile ensembles for over thirty years. Nocturnes is a moody and brooding program of compositions featuring his first string quartet performed by The Secret Quartet, Six Nocturnes for piano, an early piece from 1989 for bass and string quartet, and a dynamic trio for piano, violin and bass featuring the remarkable Carla Kihlstedt and Vicky Chow. A stunning program of modern chamber music at its best by one of the most consistent and musical figures in the Downtown scene.

"The performances are sympathetic and effortlessly capture the spirit of Haydn's music. . . . Orchestral ensemble is crisp and Simon Standage chooses effective tempos to bring out the nuances in the music . . . it would be hard to envisage performances more lovingly crafted. . . . The release is a rewarding one and some of the music may well be unfamiliar to enthusiasts. A pleasing recorded sound, engaging music and affectionate performances make the issue an attractive one."

It is intended with the utmost respect that this album is entitled Apura!, which in the Filipino language Tagalog translates to “Very Urgent” (the name of an epochal record by the Blue Notes, the pioneering South African jazz sextet of which drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo was the heartbeat). The musicians of Louis and Trevor Watts’s generation cast a tremendous shadow over the legacy of improvised music. It’s not difficult to romanticize the era in which these musicians first made their marks, exercising a creative daring and artistic ingenuity that was transformative in scope. For individuals like Louis, who spent so much of his youth fighting the injustices of the South African Apartheid regime, the raging music of the last century took on a kind of political urgency that reflected very real, very personal consequences…

In order to bear witness one must believe what one sees and belief, of course, is subjective. Knowledge is essentially faith. And the flexibility of human memory, our blind spots (whether empathetic or optic) and our great imaginations don’t make truth any easier to contain. This becomes more evident over time as the pages of history weather and the cataracts of progress cloud our collective “knowledge”. Humans love to forget and to repeat. We fall subject to confirmation bias, sway to suggestion, take the easy way out and allow ourselves to be governed while adamantly broadcasting our independence. Naturally it takes followers for a leader to exist, but like anomalons or quantum particles that change when being observed, the psychological battle within each of us changes depending on who is bearing witness. We are the worst portrayers of truth as we have no idea what it is. Everyone is a hypocrite. Everyone is wrong.

Brian Marsella’s dynamic trio steps out for another exciting outing performing a new collection of Zorn compositions inspired by the mysterious and occult cards of the Tarot. This beautiful and varied followup to the popular and critically acclaimed 2019 CD The Hierophant features the remaining thirteen Tarot cards in tight arrangements, highlighting the incredible versatility and virtuosity of this powerhouse all-star jazz trio. A classic reading of occult jazz from our favorite Downtown alchemist!

“Pahud’s playing is always crisp and stylish, whether in virtuoso display or in more tender passages where the flute traces a line of filigree delicacy.”

The Daily Telegraph

Free jazz need not only be about ear-rending howls and instrument-splintering dissonance. Belogenis and Malaby extol the virtues of this truism at length and as such their shared music with Dunn and Sawyer comes across as far more satisfying than the usual horns-bass-drums blowout. It’s this difference that will likely translate into higher visibility for their collective and individual talents on the hardscrabble proving ground that is the New York scene.