Label: Blue Note Records, 2022
Personnel - Ethan Iverson: piano; Larry Grenadier: bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums.
On his Blue Note debut recording, the pianist/composer Ethan Iverson hooks up with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jack DeJohnette, forming a pliant yet cohesive trio that navigates genres and ambiances with a penchant for tradition. Still, they have the ability to give them enough fresh context to blossom and surprise. Iverson and the legendary drummer recorded together for the very first time, in opposition to Grenadier, who played on Costumes Are Mandatory, a quartet album from 2013 that also featured the late saxophonist Lee Konitz and the drummer Jorgy Rossy.
Every Note is True opens with the title track, making the song format very present through the 44-voice virtual choir that sings lyrics penned by the pianist's wife, Sarah Demings. The trio proceeds with “The Eternal Verities” in which classical influences are particularly pronounced. This piece, inspired by Iverson’s mother-in-law, also has a popified impressionism contributing to it.
Flawlessly articulated, “She Won’t Forget Me” also embraces the pop music cannon, taking us to the musical universe of The Bad Plus, a groundbreaking trio of which Iverson was a member from 2000 to 2017. We can hear the pianist play precise bass notes with the left hand and, with his right, extract clear melodies from the higher registers of the keyboard. During the gently propulsive waltz “For Ellen Raskin”, he pays tribute to the American children’s writer and illustrator in the title. This song sails smoothly, concluding with bowed bass and melodic piano playing. “Goodness Knows” brings a happy lyricism to the setting while infusing a litany of rhythmic figures and a swinging bopish intonation that inspires Grenadier to a groove-laden statement. The piece ends with a conclusively unfurling piano solo.
A sense of rapture builds from track to track, and both “Merely Improbable” and “Praise the Travel” convey so much enjoyment. Whereas the former evokes Duke Ellington by encapsulating motivic articulations on the piano, crisply accentuated drumming, and bass lines that elegantly swing along, the latter is a blues infusion with tinges of gospel, spiritual jazz, and classical aromas. The album includes another fine blues, “At the Bells and Motley”, but my favorite piece is DeJohnette’s “Blue”, a gorgeous, emotionally effective rendition of the drummer's 1978 composition, here narrated with true melody set against cascading notes and imminent chordal foreplay.
Tastefully and masterfully executed, Every Note is True is a complete experience; a product of a mature artistic vision over an extended segment of the jazz spectrum.
Favorite Tracks:
05 - Blue ► 06 - Goodness Knows ► 08 - Merely Improbable