Label: Edition Records, 2022

Personnel - Jason Rigby: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, clarinet, flute; Shai Maestro: piano, mellotron, ampliceleste, Fender Rhodes; Chris Morrissey: bass; Mark Guiliana: drums, synth, percussion, drum programming.

Drummer/composer Mark Guiliana’s third recording with his notable quartet reinvents the formula presented by the two previous albums and keeps you on your toes, creating new lines of thought that, sounding complex at times, are never opaque. Known for subverting the norms of jazz as well as merging innovation and tradition to his advantage, Guiliana builds ‘sound of listening’ with eclecticism. Both the album’s title and the ideas behind the music came from the book Silence: the Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise by Buddhist Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.

“a path to bliss” is the first reflection into serenity via an undisturbed instrumentation that incorporates keys and reeds. The bass throb delivered by Chris Morrissey seems to want to beat faster, and the orchestration gains more layers, sounding contextually unfettered when Guiliana infuses a consistent pop/rock rhythm. This is followed by the soul-searching “the most important question”, which kicks off with a bass pedal point and a frenzy synced melody delivered by pianist Shai Maestro, who doubles here on Rhodes, and English saxophonist Jason Rigby, whose individual expression comes to the fore while drawing on the impeccable rhythmic control of the group. There are multiple fluxes succeeding one another with logic.

That’s also the case with “our essential nature”, a contemporary stunner with colorful language and killer instinct. The piece revels in demanding melodic contours, chordal dexterity, impressive pulses, and chance-taking solos by Maestro, Guiliana and Rigby. The latter blows his horn over a fusion tapestry that includes Latin, electronica and rock elements.

Guiliana’s compositions are mesmerizing. Whereas the delightful “under the influence” presents some mystery between the lines and makes the drums sing more than any other instrument, “continuation” is an Afro-centric celebration that provides the most fun. With the bassist and the drummer laying the groundwork with aplomb, don’t even think about being static.

“everything changed after you left” goes from a spiritual ballad to the gentle swing of a bolero groove. At a later stage, we are taken to pop-rock territory complemented by jazz-immersed improvisation. The kaleidoscope of facets always cohere, even during the shorter electronica-oriented pieces that serve as interludes - the title track, for example, shows the versatility of the group by intelligently integrating synth stabs, mellotron, and drum programming.

Guiliana keeps helping define the contemporary music of our era with a perfect balance between great melodies, stunning rhythms and improvised playing. This album will surprise those who think they have listened to everything this band has to offer.

Favorite tracks:
02 - the most important question ► 04 - our essential nature ► 08 - under the influence

Label/Year: Motema, 2017

Lineup – Jason Rigby: saxophone; Fabian Almazan: piano; Chris Morrissey: bass; Mark Guiliana: drums.

American drummer Mark Guiliana combines an affirmative versatility, aesthetic sensibility, and puissant technique in every project he participates. Those features make him able to play in many different settings. Besides being an integral part of the urban jazz projects led by Donny McCaslin and Dave Douglas, Guiliana got broadened notoriety when he took responsibility for all the rhythmic work in David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar.

Despite the constantly busy schedule, the drummer found the time to gather his adjustable jazz quartet in 2015, in order to build the excellent album Family First, an acoustic mix of easygoing post-bop and irresistible pop/rock.

That’s exactly the line of action followed in his new outing, Jersey, which unfolds with strong melodic ethos while breathing deeply and methodically with an unyielding musicality.

For this record, Fabian Almazan sits down at the piano replacing Shai Maestro, while saxophonist Jason Rigby and bassist Chris Morrissey remain in their respective positions.

An upbeat drumming style, marked by tom-tom expansiveness and timely hi-hat staples, introduces “Inter-are”, a piece dank in smothered and highly-rhythmic low-pitched notes delivered by Almazan, who, once in a while, infuses fulminant, bright chords with his right hand. Rigby’s solo benefits from this particular mood and the tune resumes the initial percussive eruption after Almazan’s short and sweeping solo.

Evincing a strong propensity for touching balladry forged with catchy melodies, Guiliana presents us the title track, a soulful, sunshiny pop song earnestly written and passionately delivered with a reinvigorating in-and-out improvisation by Rigby; “September”, whose soaring drones emitted by Morrissey’s bass arco form a prayerful, modal atmosphere when combined with Rigby’s melodies and Almazan’s reverberating harmonies; and David Bowie’s poignant ballad “Where Are We Now?”, which closes the album in a crescendo, regardless its benevolent character and crystalline lyricism.

Morrissey’s “Our Lady” and Guiliana’s “Big Rig Jones” take disparate directions, considering that the former is an eventful cocktail of happy folk melodies, bracing harmonic passages, and Afro-Latin pulses, while the latter, also falling into post-bop orthodoxy, varies in intensity. It embarks on a storytelling that is nice and quiet when Morrissey has the word for a brief moment, but earns a sparkling flair when Rigby comes to the forefront, fueling the combustion with his incendiary dialect. A tender pianism softens the fervency for the finale.

Jersey, another great accomplishment by the Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet, is here to fill your ears with achingly warm sounds and true emotions.