Label: Mack Avenue, 2020
Personnel - Christian Sands: piano, keyboards, voice, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B2; Yasushi Nakamura: bass; Clarence Penn: drums + Marvin Sewell: guitars; Marcus Strickland: tenor sax, bass clarinet; Sean Jones: trumpet, flugelhorn; Steve Davis: trombone. String Quartet - Sara Caswell: violin; Tomoko Akaboshi: violin; Benni von Gutzeit: viola; Eleanor Norton: cello.
American pianist/composer Christian Sands has a striking new album in which he leads a flexible band composed of his core trio plus guests. Sands, who has made a name for himself as a creative composer and virtuosic player both as a leader and member of Christian McBride’s Insight Straight trio, takes inspiration from the fluidity and malleability of the water to traverse new ground. He shapes his music like water and fills the structures through clever sonic routes that often tweak expectations. Be Water contains 10 tracks, all originals with the exception of a gospelized trio version of Steve Winwood’s folk-rock song “Can’t Find My Way Home”.
The first part of the title track stresses the formless and shapeless qualities of the precious liquid, starting with the voice of actor and martial artist Bruce Lee, an early idol whose philosophy and physical agility influenced Sand’s music. This piece boasts a personality of its own, becoming a vehicle for fine improvisations - by turns, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, trumpeter Sean Jones, and Sands (on Fender Rhodes) explore concise yet ambitious itineraries created from their imagination.
The spectacular harmonic avenues of “Drive” also provide solid ground for the soloists, with Strickland and guitarist Marvin Sewell, who concludes in big, deserving the spotlight. Tightly weaved but never overworked, the arrangement sports a nervy guitar ostinato, freethinking piano playing and a bright, funk-rock rhythm. The bass clarinet is added for depth and extra groove.
“Intro” makes for a docile opening filled with dramatic splendor and emotional power. It leads to “Sonar”, another sophisticated and multifaceted trio experience whose passages require expertise to work. The group’s ultra-refined chemistry is on display throughout ever-evolving sequences where unpredictability is key. The complexity of the rhythm and crisp melodic accents are in the mould of progressive jazz. They are later slowed down, with the group reaching a calm, airy retreat before setting an invigorating, uptempo swing in motion. Taking the form of a vamp, the polyrhythmic final section is filtered through empathetic drumming and a collective rhythmic understanding.
“Crash” is presented in the classic piano trio format with underlying lushness. Sands engages in a nearly telepathic communication with bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Clarence Penn, whose colorings and rock-inflected propulsions feel just perfect for the lighthearted tone of the pianist’s brazenly jazzy melodies. On the lyrical “Be Water II”, Sands even employs a competent quartet of strings for sonic diversity.
Sands' accomplished compositional style helped configuring Be Water with absorbing musical moments. This is clearly my first pick from the pianist's catalog.
Grade A
Favorite Tracks:
02 - Sonar ► 03 - Be Water I ► 05 - Drive