Dan Weiss - Even Odds

March 25, 2024

Label: Cygnus Recordings, 2024

Personnel - Miguel Zénon: alto saxophone; Matt Mitchell: piano; Dan Weiss: drums.

Drummer and composer Dan Weiss emerges as a rhythmic magician on his captivating new album, Even Odds, infusing every beat and spark with profound meaning and context. With a rare ability to craft narratives through music, Weiss collaborates with saxophonist Miguel Zénon and keyboardist Matt Mitchell to deliver an intriguing collection of six written compositions and provocative improvisations. On the latter, he provides risk-taking, magnetic rhythmic tapestries on top of which his trio mates create freely.

From the frantic energy of “It is What it is”, where pulsating angularity evolves into a dynamic rhythmic tapestry punctuated by insistent saxophone attacks, articulated piano flurries, and Weiss' rock and African-tinged drumming, to the reflective poignancy of Weiss' compositions “The Children of Uvalde” and “Ititrefen", each track offers a unique exploration of its thematic elements. The former piece, written in response to a tragic school shooting in Texas, unfolds as an elegiac ballad with intriguing harmonic vibrations, while the latter pays tribute to Wayne Shorter's “Nefertiti” in a clever reversal of the title.

“Fathers and Daughters” celebrates parenthood with more tenderness than friction, while “Max Roach”, fueled by a fabulously syncopated drum work, delves into the secrets behind the late drummer’s playing in Charlie Parker’s “Klactoveedsedstene”. Weiss also pays homage to Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in “Nusrat”, infusing an irresistible, chilled-out nu-beat that resulted from transplanting a Qawwali tabla rhythm into the drum set.

Among the impromptu material, the following provocative pieces stand out: “Bu”, a free-form communicative effort whose principle consists in a pattern by iconic drummer Art Blakey; “Rising”, which sets a visceral shuffling beat against tranquil saxophone and piano lines; “M and M”, placing fractal saxophone runs and galloping motifs side by side with piano constellations built in clever intervals; and “Five to Nine”, laced with odd-metered undercurrents and contrapuntal interplay.

Each track, whether composed or improvised, serves as a testament to Weiss’ multifaceted, brainy sense of rhythm and his peers’ facility to connect and expand musical horizons. Even Odds offers results that, transporting listeners beyond ordinary realms, invites them to embrace the extraordinary.

Favorite Tracks:
09 - Five To Nine ► 14 - Max Roach ► 20 - Nusrat

Dan Weiss Starebaby - Natural Selection

October 15, 2020

Label: Pi Recordings, 2020

Personnel - Matt Mitchell: piano, Prophet-6; Craig Taborn: piano, Fender Rhodes, synth; Ben Monder: guitar; Trevor Dunn: electric bass; Dan Weiss: drums, tabla, piano.

Accomplished drummer Dan Weiss quickly gained notoriety among fellow colleagues due to a tremendous versatility, musical taste and advanced technique. The second installment of his Starebaby project - an idiosyncratic blend of David Lynch’s Twin Peak’s mystery and progressive metal with suggestions of post-apocalyptic electronica - is called Natural Selection, and its tracks are deeply connected to the ones presented in the previous album by acting as tulpas (beings or objects created through spiritual or mental powers).

As an illustration, “Episode 18”, which kicks in with fast guitar licks on top a rugged texture, is a tulpa of “Episode 8”. During the start-up phase, we have abrasive surfaces that later morph into more melodic and atmospheric passages conducted by expressive cymbal texture. Some psychedelia pops up, emanated from the synths operated by Craig Taborn and Matt Mitchell. And then, there's an arcane, gothic-style doom-metal aesthetic anticipating the visceral mass of distortion and feedback placed atop the fast attacks and booming bass lines delivered by Weiss and Trevor Dunn, respectively. Virtuoso guitarist Ben Monder oozes out a violently toxic solo by the end.

A change of mood is proposed with “Dawn”, whose languid beat and folk innuendo allow the group to set one foot on the contemporary and another on the medieval milieus. Things are muscled up a bit from the tune’s midpoint on, yet, Monder opts to set an ethereal lyricism against the cyclic harmonic progression that moves toward the ending.

“The Long Diagonal” offers rhythmic stability but only after a sluggish guitar ostinato collides with a more expedite synth figure. The keyboardist continues to connect that ostinato, yet a Latin-flavored vibe soon exudes from his right-hand routines. Ratcheting up the intensity level, Weiss brings the talkative drums to the fore, while the odd-metered prog-rock mechanisms trigger guitar spasms and then an extraordinary piano solo that, most likely, is the closest to jazz you can get on this album (“Acinna” is another competitor in this aspect). “A Taste of Memory” has its meditative intro built with the help of piano and sustained synth chords. Dark and heavy textures erupt, but the keyboardist still finds room for his perpetual rumination.

The drummer's kinetic propulsions on “Bridge of Trust” would pass for a samba if it weren’t for the dismal harmonies and foreboding melodies that run across them.

With this project, Weiss has the willingness to evoke, but also to experiment in dazzling fashion. One must admit they do it wholeheartedly.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - The Long Diagonal ► 04 - A Taste of Memory ► 07 - Acinna

Dan Weiss Trio Plus 1 - Utica Box

November 5, 2019

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2019

Personnel - Jacob Sacks: piano; Thomas Morgan: bass; Eivind Opsvick: bass; Dan Weiss: drums.

Dan Weiss is a special drummer who puts his wide rhythmic knowledge and keen ears at the service of his playing. He is equally comfortable leading a piano trio and a knotty large ensemble, as well as powering a metal band composed of jazz musicians. For his most recent work, Utica Box, he adds bassist Eivind Opsvick to his long-standing trio with Jacob Sacks on piano and Thomas Morgan on bass. Together, they form a tight outfit, navigating Weiss’ challenging compositions in a program of seven cuts.

There’s always a melange of styles as part of the drummer’s expansive vision, and the title track, which kicks off the album with a dreamy if slightly tense vibe, mirrors that aspect within an inventive sonic geometry. A haunting, modernistic touch emerges from beat displacement and syncopation, bowed bass murmurs that confer it a chamber-esque classical feel, and cyclic arpeggiated piano uttered with a dream-perfect intonation. The mood is then briefly reshaped by a passage enclosing succinct lines and hushed, sparse activity before the initial state is resumed, this time underlined with a hip-hop rhythm underpinning the buzzing arco bass legato and broken piano chords. The intensity inflates until piano reflections meet conversational mallet drumming and, later on, concordant bass lines. The final segment is stimulated by a medium-intensity rock pulse that keeps hold of piano cascades and droning sounds.

Disarming the listener most of the times, these shape-shifting qualities in Weiss music can also be fully enjoyed on “Bonham”, a piece dedicated to Led Zeppelin’s genius drummer John Bonham, which starts and ends with vibrant solo drum work. There’s a deliberate rock inflection by the end, where the tune follows a more steady line, with the primary chapter including nuanced bass pedals and furtive piano footprints. This is a perfect occasion to observe the beautiful touch and feel in Weiss’ playing as he brings it to the center of things with crisp ride cymbal orientation, hi-hat predominance, precious and subversive drum kicks, and even short snare rolls.

A colorful polyrhythm with Afro-Cuban influence and hints of danceable psychedelia pushes “Please Don’t Leave” into the set of highlights. At once downhearted and euphorically groovy, this exquisite piece features Sacks articulating stunning intervals as he explores the tonal range of the piano.

Referring to the nicknames of Morgan and Opsvick, “Rock and Heat” showcases the two bassists walking expeditiously and side by side in a polyphonic swinging ride. With the drummer and the pianist joining their cause, they embark on a playful on-off cycle.

Compositions such as “Last Time One More Time” and “Orange” navigate more tranquil waters. The former, a sweet lullaby inspired by Weiss’ daughter’s bedtime phrase, promotes transparency of texture with the two bassists in tandem, while the latter entails both unconventional and easy melodies, off-kilter chords, and zigzagging drumming in its narrative. There’s some nice textural roughness in certain occasions here, but for most of the time, the trio muses on moods and timbres, finishing the tune with pathos.

The compositional integrity of each piece is extraordinary, while the overall dynamic balance in the orchestration, instead of feeling clinical, keeps our ears well alert through the musicians’ steadfast and tactful control.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Utica Box ► 05 - Please Don’t Leave ► 07 - Bonham

Dan Weiss - Starebaby

April 2, 2018

Label: Pi Recordings, 2018

Personnel - Craig Taborn: keyboards, piano; Matt Mitchell: keyboards, piano; Ben Monder: guitar; Trevor Dunn: bass; Dan Weiss: drums.

Those who are familiar with the work of American drummer Dan Weiss, a praised bandleader and sought-after sideman, will agree that openness, big ears, and versatility are vital elements of his business.

His new album, Starebaby, it’s an unheard blend of heavy metal, electronic inspirations, Twin Peaks eerie moods, and a dash of jazz. The outcome is an unparalleled dark symphony filled with both mercurial meters and ethereal passages. The orchestration was made with ubiquitous presences in the New York jazz scene such as keyboardists Craig Taborn and Matt Mitchell, guitarist Ben Monder, and bassist Trevor Dunn, who, sharing the same taste of rugged sounds, captured Weiss’ compositional spirit with attitude, turning possible a project that was envisioned ten years ago.

The opening track, “A Puncher’s Chance”, starts off with electro-acoustic guitar sounds in a sheer classical moment, but soon bursts into a powerful alternative rock mode created by dirty keyboard sounds, well-fixed bass notes, and powerful drumming. After a middle passage designed for dreamlike piano and wrapped in a smoky effect, the band reinstates that monolithic riff over a gush of energetic rock.

“Depredation” kicks off with a dragging pulse, sustained synth chords, agitated guitar, and sparse bass activity. It mutates to a vehement synth-metal intoxicated by trashy power chords, trance-like electronic vibes, and a scalding guitar solo that causes trepidation.

The quintet plunges into reflectiveness on “The Memory of My Memory”, but that initially gracious if mysterious state morphs into a snarling toil firmly planted in doom metal. Weiss’ dried spanks on snare and tom-toms grow in fierceness and the tenebrous atmosphere, somewhere between Anathema and Paradise Lost, also encapsulates Monder’s brief solo.

Both “Annica” and “Cry Box” expose piano in their introductory sections. Even non-aggressive, the former brings uneasiness and causes foreboding apprehension through the fatalism of its somber shadows, reminiscing the ways of My Dying Bride. On the latter, the band builds multiple textures with a forthright sense of tempo and attention to detail, passing through a grungy tunnel with electro melodies before achieving peace.

A tribute to the American composer of Twin Peaks, “Badalamenti” has a fluid bass-drums flow underpinning ethereal harmonic incursions and Monder’s heroic guitar mobilizations. Alone, the bandleader packs glorious chops, preparing a virile, odd-metered rock passage that would be an asset in any of David Lynch’s inscrutable thriller films. It all winds up in the contrapuntal electronic wizardry of Taborn and Mitchell.

The influence of contemporary electronic music is particularly strong on “Veiled”, a polyrhythmic epiphany with dramatic piano and shades of Karlheinz Stockhausen, and “Episode 8”, a shape-shifting phenomenon with vivid drumming, whose humoresque trance house melodies oppose to the austerity of a metal that wouldn't embarrass Black Sabbath.

Starebaby proves Weiss as a boundless drummer and unlimited composer. Whether a singular case or not, this 360-degree turn in his career will be a challenge for jazz fans. Love it or hate it, you'll find multiple transfusions of energy invading your body.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - A Puncher’s Chance ► 03 – Annica ► 06 – The Memory of My Memory

Dan Weiss - Sixteen: Drummers Suite

August 8, 2016

Dan Weiss: drums, tabla; Thomas Morgan: acoustic bass; Matt Mitchell: keyboards, piano, vibraphone; Jacob Sacks: piano; Miles Okazaki: guitars; David Binney: alto saxophone; Miguel Zenon: alto saxophone; Ohad Talmor: tenor saxophone; Jacob Garchik: trombone, tuba; Ben Gerstein: trombone; Stephen Cellucci: percussion; Katie Andrews: harp; Anna Webber: flutes; Judith Berkson: vocals; Lana Is: vocals; Jen Shyu: vocals.

Dan Weiss, a prominent element in past projects of Rudresh Mahanthappa, David Binney, and Rez Abbasi, claims more visibility as a bandleader, and “Sixteen: Drummers Suite” is a bold move in that direction.
The opening track exhibits 56 seconds of his drumming skills, inviting us to the following six tracks, each of them carrying the name of an iconic drummer in the title.
“Elvin”, inspired by Elvin Jones, kicks in with a jumpy bass/drums groove adorned with cyclic piano lines, a few dissonant keyboard effects, vocals, horns, claps, and Okazaki’s guitar, which finishes the song in style.
Max Roach is remembered in “Max”, a tune that continues delivering similar sounds of those showed by its predecessor. This time, however, the vocal component gets even bigger salience while Weiss and Morgan work on surprising rhythmic variations.
Invoking the unique Tony Williams, “Tony” is undoubtedly my favorite composition. It starts with Morgan’s bass intro and features a kinetic alto sax duel between Binney and Zenon, a shifting keyboard solo by Mitchell, and ends up in the melancholic piano of Jacob Sacks.
The percussive “Philly Joe” reaches epic proportions and culminates with another tense interaction between Mitchell and Sacks while “Ed”, a 15-minute piece that acknowledges Ed Blackwell, follows up the complex-yet-malleable moves of the previous pieces.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Elvin ► 04 – Tony ► 05 – Philly Joe