Label: Playscape Recordings, 2024
Personnel - Jason Robinson: tenor and soprano saxophone, alto flute; Michael Dessen: trombone; Joshua White: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Ches Smith: drums, glockenspiel.
Saxophonist, flutist, composer, and scholar Jason Robinson consistently infuses energy and emotion into the groups he leads. In his latest outing, Ancestral Numbers I, he spearheads a robust quintet featuring the same rhythmic builders from his previous album, Harmonic Constituent (Playscape, 2020): pianist Joshua White, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer/vibist Ches Smith. Longtime collaborator and trombonist Michael Dessen joins him on the frontline, rounding out the group.
The album, a heartfelt tribute to Robinson’s late maternal grandmother, consists of eight well-crafted originals, offering an interesting journey into creative spaces ripe for exploration. “Second House” opens the album powerfully with a groovy riff, agile counterpoint, crisp unisons, and vibrant solos from Robinson and Dessen.
“Malachi”, a mercurial and impeccably tailored jazz piece, elevates the album’s intensity as it transitions from ice bath to high fever. It is put in motion as a solemn march with lamenting bowed bass, and later followed by a mix of dreamy and angular piano measurements, passing through an unaccompanied sax/trombone dialogue before settling into a groove in five that liberates Robinson’s circular verve and melodic sagacity. It culminates in an agreeably odd-metered dance flow.
“Potentiality” offers a passionately driven bop ride with hard-swinging sections and pronounced rhythmic accents, while “Remembering Water” is an effectively brushed ballad highlighted by a cerebral bass solo. “Wattensaw”, named after a town in Arkansas, brings a colorful funky stamp on it, showcasing affinities with pianist Andrew Hill’s music. This influence reaches its peak on “Vestibule”, a magnificent sonic canvas that imparts sly yet strong tension, seamlessly swaying between solid post-bop and crisp avant-garde currents.
Cohesively structured, Ancestral Numbers I is a satisfying record where no musician is overshadowed, each contributing excellent taste and noble professionalism.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Second House ► 02 - Malachi ► 07 - Vestibule