Label: Adhyâropa Records, 2022
Personnel - Jason Rigby: tenor saxophone; Yago Vazquez: Fender Rhodes; Matt Aronoff: bass; Henry Cole: drums.
Matt Aronoff is a qualified bassist who recently fell under notice while underpinning the orchestrations of saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf in his Assembly of Shadows ensemble, as well as playing with guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi on his excellent Mass-inspired album, Book of Hours.
With Morning Song, he debuts as a leader, presenting a set of live recorded pieces written for his father - who was diagnosed with cancer - and commanding an international quartet of special musicians that includes American tenor player Jason Rigby (Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet, Alan Ferber BigBand), Spanish keyboardist Yago Vazquez, and Puerto Rican drummer Henry Cole (Miguel Zenón, Fabian Almazan Trio).
The title track seems to have been designed to convey optimism with a mix of laid-back and energetic currents. It feels at once placid and restless. Vazquez wants more than just going with the tidal flow, and his brisk collateral moves persuade Rigby to exchange a few zestful phrases. Aronoff also provides a cerebral discourse with sparse Rhodes accompaniment, before courting a gentler muse and nodding to Debussy (in its initial phase) with the 3/4 ballad “El de Lun”. These two first numbers don’t really surprise in their plenitude, but still quash the earliest ennui with a few good details before completion.
An intelligible three-minute bass interlude announces “Hodgman”, a tribute to author/humorist John Hodgman, which unfolds quietly with a glamorous aesthetic inspired by the minimal traits of Steve Reich’s Four Organs. The driving odd-metered groove that sustains the high-flying soloing experiences from Rigby, a trenchant narrator, and Vazquez, who articulates rhythmic figures and phrases with appreciable quality, make this cut a far more involving effort.
The two tracks that follow, “June 25th” and “Blue Quokka”, are equally exciting, allowing the album to grow in a crescendo of emotion. Whereas the former embodies a fusion-like complexity with odd-meter, sturdy textures, and exquisite melodies, the latter, starting off with a post-bop-meets-avant-garde maneuver created by Rigby and Cole, wraps up the whole recording with a blues progression and hard-swinging flow.
Favorite Tracks:
04 - Hodgman ► 05 - June 25th ► 06 - Blue Quokka