Label: Skirl Records, 2020
Personnel - Gordon Grdina: guitar, oud; Matt Mitchell: piano; Jim Black: drums.
Very active as a leader in recent times, Canadian guitarist/oud player Gordon Grdina hones his ingenious musicianship by playing with two other masters of texture and improvisation, keyboardist Matt Mitchell and drummer Jim Black. The trio’s first record comes out on the genre-defying Brooklyn-based label Skirl Records.
The trio’s love of freedom is showcased from the start, with the album’s opener, “Wildlife”, searching invariably in its attempt to sonically portray animals in their natural habitat. Expect discordant dialogues, intriguing rhythmic fluxes with spasmodic accents, and well-designed multi-shaped figures that juxtapose to create electronic-like textures that quickly shift and merge with free improvisation and hard rock punch. A softer ambiance hinged on arpeggiated piano and low-profile drum work is reserved for the final section.
Just like the haunting “Benbow”, whose writing was inspired by an exceptional stay in a historic Northern California hotel, “The Nomad” brings out the rawness of Grdina’s acoustic guitar right off the bat. After that solo moment, it lands on a forward-pushing motion that makes your body want to move. Mitchell’s nimble explorations on the lower register find Black’s drumming at its most vivid. I’m talking about a cathartic rocking blast that will get you breathless.
A flow of cross-linked ideas runs from “Ride Home”. Mitchell assures the walking bass trajectory, with Black fluctuating the tempo according to his own whims. He becomes hyperactive in the final part with a succession of kick drum explosions that wouldn’t sound displaced in a metal music number. Grdina’s intensity is preponderant in the concluding crescendo.
“Thanksgiving” starts off with beautifully intoned percussive patterns that eventually stabilize into a well-rounded groove. Mitchell’s demanding left-hand circularity doesn’t dissuade him from joining the guitarist in punchy unisons or stretching out in the upper registers. Sometimes sounding like a delicate Eastern dance, sometimes like a twanging polyrhythmic rock disarray, this is another slap-on-your-face piece. All that high-voltage energy is turned into a devotional meditation on the closing “Lady Choral”. This is the only opportunity for us to indulge in the virtuosic oud playing of the bandleader, whose migratory digresses are stunning.
After listening to all six explorative manifestations that compose Nomad Trio's first outing, we just want to go all over again and deepen our discoveries. Adventurous new material is always welcome.
Grade A-
Favorite Tracks:
02 - The Nomad ► 05 - Thanksgiving ► 06 - Lady Choral