Label: Criss Cross, 2020
Personnel - David Gilmore: guitars; Luis Perdomo: piano; Brad Jones: bass; E.J. Strickland: drums.
The vibrancy of American guitarist David Gilmore made him a first-call sideman in projects of Steve Coleman, Wayne Shorter, Don Byron and Christian McBride, among others. From Here To Here is his sixth album as a leader and his second consecutive release on the Dutch Criss Cross Jazz label. In opposition to the previous outing (Transitions, 2017), this horn-less quartet record features more originals than covers, being a double tribute to Gilmore’s father and to Criss Cross founder, Gerry Teekins Jr., who passed away last year.
“Focus Pocus” opens the curtain with rhythmic insight, oscillating between pedal-point passages and hard-swinging motions, but it’s “Metaverse” that immediately came to my attention as a jazz/funk/rock overlap infused with synth guitar sounds, crafty unisons, a mix of rhythmic independence and confluence, as well as expedite soloing with exchanges between Gilmore and the highly expressive pianist Luis Perdomo.
With the bassist Brad Jones and the drummer E.J. Strickland behind the powerful rhythmic pulse, “Free Radicals” is an exciting ride with furious narrative logic and progressive vision. The group flawlessly mingles a gorgeous Latin vibe, post-bop grit and some rock muscularity that proceeds from the bandleader’s gliding runs. Jones and Strickland also contribute valuable improvisations in a piece that was written a few years ago but was never recorded until now.
The variety of mood and gradience in color can be spotted throughout. Consider the cases of “Child of Time”, an acoustic guitar-driven post-bop piece with an inclination to jazz fusion; “The Long Game”, which clearly brings tradition attached to its bopish melodies and solid bass groove; “Libation”, whose triple meter and sonic shape bring Wayne Shorter to mind; and “When and Then”, a jazz-funk gift with farsighted parallel phrases, a bluesy tinge and hints of R&B tossed in the mix.
A pair of non-originals, the freewheeling “Cyclic Episode” and the 12-bar blues “Interplay”, sprang from the pens of woodwind master Sam Rivers and revered pianist Bill Evans, respectively. Although rendered with depth, none of them matches the original material.
Grade B+
Favorite Tracks:
03 - Metaverse ► 05 - When and Then ► 09 - Free Radicals