Label: Endectomorph Music, 2026
Personnel - Ingrid Laubrock: tenor saxophone; Shawn Lovato: bass; Henry Mermer: drums.
Shawn Lovato is a New York-based bassist and composer with a daunting artistic perspective. Biotic marks an impressive trio debut alongside two other modern sculptors of sound, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Henry Mermer.
Showcasing open-mindedness and an extraordinary capacity for communication, the trio kicks off with “Spling”, which seems to draw on the patterned dynamics of electronic music. With the rhythm section cleverly anchoring the piece through syncopation-infused motion, Laubrock delivers a slyly virtuosic discourse packed with invigorating impromptu tangents. “Frequent Flyer” serves as a rousing nod to punk music—one of Lovato’s early influences—moving with elastic vigor while bringing to mind the Chris Speed Trio. Lovato embarks on a supple bass solo without ever losing sight of the tune’s lively harmonic progression.
Both “One Step From Anything Easy” and the closer “Parachute Bloom” are saxophone–arco bass duets that explore contrasting dynamics with refinement and taste. While the former is freely improvised, the latter relies on stately unison lines.
The trio also displays precise, athletic unisons on “Patience and Hydration”, a piece imbued with a grounded sense of direction. Laubrock, Lovato, and Mermer read each other seamlessly, exchanging and consolidating ideas with vision and spontaneity. “Dirt Doesn’t Burn”—its title drawn from a magazine article—is set in motion by a compelling bass introduction, later injecting angularity and mesmerizing rhythmic accents. The group maintains an energized focus throughout, but it is Mermer who disperses his kit’s sounds like octopus tentacles in a striking, thematic drum dissertation.
At times rigorous, at others freely drifting, Lovato’s trio fuses the concrete and the abstract into a coherent postmodern aesthetic, revealing a deep collective connection and a shared affinity for exploration.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Spling ► 04 - Patience and Hydration ► 06 - Dirt Doesn’t Burn