Label: Palmetto Records, 2020

Personnel - Jeff Lederer: tenor, alto and soprano saxophones, clarinet, piccolo, voice; Kirk Knuffke: cornet, soprano cornet, voice; Chris Lightcap: acoustic and electric basses, 8 string space bass, voice; Matt Wilson: drums, xylophone, voice.

American drummer/composer Matt Wilson reconvenes his monumental quartet - pairing up with bassist Chris Lightcap in the rhythm section and having reedsman Jeff Lederer and cornetist Kirk Knuffke sharing the frontline - to perform an 11-track session crammed with improvisational virtuosity and quicksilver interplay. The drummer’s phenomenal work, known for its elasticity and versatility, can encompass everything from New Orleans marches to muscular swinging numbers to uncompromising avant-garde tradition. Consisting of originals and covers alike, Hug! is no exception to the rule, having been programmed with a wide aesthetic variety.

The bluesy hard-bop of tenor master Gene Ammons’ “The One Before This” is infused with a striking energy and delivered with fascinating ideas on the account of the awesome soloing offered by all members of the quartet. The pictorial vividness found in here is also taken to Dewey Redman’s “Joie de Vivre”, originally a balladic post-bop number that, in the present case, is pumped up with a robuster sound and a faster tempo.

“Jabulani” and “In the Moment”, penned by pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and bassist Charlie Haden, respectively, are propelled by a hard-grooving overdrive that swings galore. While the former plays like a march during the theme statement, surfacing with a South African feel and staccato-imbued melody, the latter runs at full throttle, showing off sax and cornet thoroughly engaged in legato concordances.

Wilson, who demonstrates his genius throughout, splices his own “Space Force March” - a parody where we hear the voice of the current American president uttering a bunch of nonsense - with Sun Ra’s “Interplanetary Music”. The last segment is certainly a good time for Lederer and Knuffke interact with charisma. Their styles combine in perfection, and while the saxophonist usually unleashes full-throated blows that carry bravura intervallic leaps, the cornetist maintains a neat and bracing post-bop flair in his vocabulary. The latter's playing really makes an impression on Wilson’s sweet and soulful ballad “Every Day With You”.

Other Wilson compositions that stand out for their candor and originality are “Sunny & Share”, a tribute to the duo Sonny and Cher wrapped up in an unapologetic avant-garde outfit with a bass solo at the outset; “Hug!”, an effulgent pop song with strings arranged and played by Nashville-based bluegrass artist Matt Combs; and “Hambe Kahle (Goodbye)”, a tune with connotations to South Africa.

More than anything, this album expresses the immense joy these four musicians feel when they play together. They have fun while exploring the visceral pleasures of swing and marching songs, or by simply exchanging muscular melodies with ecstasy.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The One Before This ► 04 - Every Day With You ► 07 - Sunny & Share