Label: Intakt Records, 2023
Personnel - Tony Malaby: tenor and soprano saxophone; Kris Davis: piano; Michael Formanek: bass; Ches Smith: drums, vibes.
As Things Do, the sophomore album of the Elusion Quartet underscores the reputation as a masterful creative bassist and visionary composer of its leader, Michael Formanek. His group is made of excellent improvisers and bandleaders - saxophonist Tony Malaby, pianist Kris Davis and drummer Ches Smith - who commit to Formanek’s ideas across the music with optimal acuity.
The quartet’s openness to new genres is felt right from the start. “Bury the Lede” falls somewhere between a melodic doom-metal trait and an enlightened alternative rock song. Malaby begins his show with beseeching tenor growls over a tense piano-bass pedal. His dark pitches ascend for a grand improvisation that is also wide in range and emotionally strong. He expertly sequences his brainstorms into climaxes. With Davis giving it the right rich dimension while Formanek and Smith hold the foundation like impenetrable rocks, this first track pushes you with a strange force. You want to hear more at this point.
Contrasting with the outgoing postures of numbers such as “I Don’t Think So” - a playful piece with staccatos in the melody, lively snare activity, bowed bass, and exquisite piano chords and textures - and “Rockaway Beach”, whose hooky thematic melody looks good on top of this centered and propulsive funk-rock underpinning - we find numbers that explore ambiguity with a certain degree of comfort. They are “Rewind”, an elegant workout with dynamic tempos and swinging sections that blend the softness of Kenny Wheeler and the angularity of Herbie Nichols; “Entropy”, which is introduced by bass and drums before a 10-beat cycle phrase stipulates the groove; and “Gone Home”, an enchanting 3/4 ballad that peacefully concludes the recording with pleasant-sounding tones.
There’s also “In Turn”, which belongs to a different class and starts in improvisational mode. Whereas Smith remains on vibraphone for a while, Malaby pushes through a rise via occasional multiphonic fire and resonating pitches. The theme statement surfaces at the end.
Formanek’s recordings have been consistently successful, but this one is special. Everyone with a thirst for discovery in music should listen to this work.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Bury the Lede ► 03 - In Turn ► 04 - Rockaway Beach