Label: Self released, 2020

Personnel - Micah Thomas: piano; Dean Torrey: bass; Kyle Benford: drums.

Tide, the debut album from rising pianist and composer Micah Thomas, is something precious in the way that it squeezes tradition and novelty into addictive new music. Thomas has been excelling in many New York ensembles as a reliable sideman (Lage Lund, Harish Raghavan and Immanuel Wilkins are just a few examples), but now it’s his turn to shine as a leader while displaying virtuosic compositional abilities. Playing alongside empathetic trio partners - bassist Dean Torrey and drummer Kyle Benford - Thomas floods most of the originals on this live recording with extravagant swinging gallantry.

A vibrant “Tornado” kicks off the record, underlying the notions of intricacy and beauty with a Chick Corea feel that evokes his 1968 masterpiece Now He Sings Now He Sobs.

The title track translates into unstuffed, breezy productivity. It displays a singing bass solo before entering that swinging gateway that encourages the pianist’s bopish fantasies replete with melodic and rhythmic hooks.

The trio swings and grooves with a straightforward, happy vibe on “Grounds”, a Jarrett-esque folk-jazz piece imbued with rivers of motifs, clever phrases, and stunning chordal work. Torrey paves the way with absolute confidence and also provides a lovely bass talk that, for moments, touches the spiritual side.

Inspired by the fourth movement of Mahler’s Symphony No.6, “The Game” is an indisputable joy to listen to, encompassing ingenious rhythmic variations within a well-defined structure. What more can you expect here? A considerable amount of surprises and twists, lots of energy stemming from the splendid teamwork, and audacity in the labyrinthine connections between the jazz and the classical styles.

The kinetic mechanisms decline on ballads such as “The Day After”, which features an arco bass dissertation and a dynamic wrapping-up drum solo, and the Bill Evans-tinged “Across My Path”. “Vanta” is also carried out in a lighter vein, being a supple, rubato, solo piano effort.

Thomas makes a significant contribution to the jazz panorama with an accomplished body of work that not only testifies his enormous respect for the past but also a wholehearted and open vision that takes the genre beyond the expected.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Tornado ► 02 - Tide ► 05 - The Game