Label: Sunnyside Records, 2025
Personnel - Bill Ware: vibraphone, melodica; Rez Abbasi; guitar; Matt King: piano; Jay Anderson: bass; Taru Alexander: drums.
Martian Sunset is the latest album from American vibraphonist and composer Bill Ware, who, over a three-decade career, has carved his path across a variety of ensembles including The Jazz Passengers, Groove Collective, the trio Vibes, and Rez Abbasi’s Acoustic Quartet. The ten original compositions were written anew—though initially conceived as part of his pandemic-triggered 1k Song Project—for The Club Bird All-Stars, the long-running vehicle for his prolific creativity, formed in 1993 after a three-month engagement at the beloved Japanese venue Club Bird. The group’s new iteration features adventurous guitarist Rez Abbasi, seasoned bassist Jay Anderson, and unsung drummer Taru Alexander, with pianist Matt King remaining in the lineup.
From the opening bars of “Around The Horn”, it becomes immediately clear that Ware is a multi-genre-infused musician. Slightly funkified and strikingly groovy, the piece draws on R&B colors and is buoyed by exciting, fluid solos from Abbasi, King, and Ware. “That Dirty Road” swings mildly, though its head isn’t particularly memorable, while the uptempo “Happy Bird” opens with lively drumming and moves with an easy fusion feel, featuring Ware on melodica.
The album begins to open up more fully from this point on, heating itself toward a steady crescendo. Inspired by Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra, the title cut throbs with tension and collective synchronization, while giving the soloists plenty of space for spontaneity—including Alexander, who closes the track with rock-like muscularity. In jaw-dropping fashion, “In a Spiral”—assembled from favored fragments of earlier compositions—unfolds with purpose, assuming a luscious modal tone and dancing enchantingly after Anderson’s double-stop-rich introduction. Abbasi scrawls astute phrases with dazzling delay effects, and Ware supplies harmonic depth before a polished vamp ushers in the drummer.
“Don’t Take Me Wrong” maintains its post-bop exploratory drive with contemporary freshness, especially through King’s contributions. Powering things along on the album’s outlier, “Hangin’ at Rez”, are Abbasi on acoustic guitar and Ware on melodica; under their spell, the tune moves as breezily as a lighthearted spring diversion. The album closes with “All the Way Down”, a loping, sumptuous jazz-funk number wrapped in warm hues.
Covering a considerable range of moods without drifting from Ware’s stylistic core, Martian Sunset feels distinctly contemporary and offers a generous share of surprises.
Favorite Tracks:
06 - In a Spiral ► 07 - Don’t Take Me Wrong ► 08 - Hangin’ at Rez