Label: Intakt Records, 2025
Personnel - Myra Medford: piano; Michael Formanek: bass; Ches Smith: drums, vibraphone.
Pianist and composer Myra Melford leads a new boundary-pushing trio—a format she usually invests in with Trio M (featuring bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Matt Wilson)—characterized by its serious yet passionate approach to music. Splash thrives on complex frameworks designed with locked-in aesthetics and imaginative improvisation. As in previous outings, Melford draws inspiration from American post-abstract expressionist Cy Twombly, using his art as a catalyst for her and her bandmates—bassist Michael Formanek and drummer/vibraphonist Ches Smith—to explore their deep harmonic and rhythmic sensibilities.
In “Drift”, the core rhythm section sets a vigorous motion over which Melford unfurls sinewy lines, weaving an endless strain of lyrical invention and frayed expression without ever breaking in tone. A striking unaccompanied bass solo, driven by stamina and precision, is later joined by vamping vibraphone and piano, and Smith improvises freely on both vibes and drums over a 13-beat cycle piano vamp.
Like the opening track, “The Wayward Line” previously appeared on Tomorrowland by Lux Quartet, an ensemble co-led by Melford and drummer Allison Miller. Here, it unfolds experimentally, beginning with controlled abstract frenzy, passing through introspective tones, and culminating in an investigative piano passage over a dense, rhythmic continuum.
“Freewheeler” surges forward with anxious, restless energy, only to soften in its final quarter, where Smith’s fluttering vibraphone delicacy replaces the drums, creating a dreamy atmosphere. The through-composed “Streaming” brings further surprises, kicking off with skittish drumming and slippery stabs of funky double bass, while slaloming piano melodies dance above. The dynamic sequence of timbres and moods is accentuated by bowed bass and interwoven vibraphone-piano statements.
“A Line With a Mind of its Own” stands out, featuring bass and piano in parallel while Smith embraces a liberated approach on drums, filling every gap with fervor and precision. The supple piano improvisation leads into a main melodic line that is both disembodied and intellectually grounded, culminating in pure avant-garde intensity. “Chalk” brings a poetic close to the album, imbued with a contemporary classical feel and a touch of modal spirituality. Before that, three ‘Interludes’—each spotlighting one musician—seamlessly weave powerful emotions into the album’s rich tapestry.
Melford gives her exemplary trio the freedom they claim, and the three artists show their seriously expansive sonic palettes in a cohesive whole that is as probing and expressionistic as Twombly’s art.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Drift ► 06 - Streaming ► 07 - A Line With a Mind of Its Own ► 10 - Chalk