Label: Diskonife Records, 2023
Personnel - Darren Johnston: trumpet, vocals; Dayna Stephens: tenor, soprano and baritone saxophones; Jacob Sacks: piano; Sean Conly: acoustic bass; Ches Smith: drums.
Canadian trumpeter Darren Johnston, who has recorded and performed with Larry Ochs, Fred Frith and Dave Rempis, reveals an interesting writing and abundance of ideas, most of the time resulting in extroverted music with a few classy hooks. If his last outing, Life on Time (Origin Records, 2022) was made in the company of Chicago-based musicians, the newest one, Wild Awake, teams him up with contemporary New York jazz practitioners. The quintet, an extension of Johnston’s New York-based trio with pianist Jacob Sacks and bassist Sean Conly, features the versatile saxophonist Dayna Stephens on the frontline and the unmatchable Ches Smith performing rhythmic duties behind the drum set.
The program begins with “Anchorite’s Travel Guide”, which grabs one’s attention immediately through a playful, rip-roaring dialogue between Stephens on baritone and Johnston on muted trumpet. It’s a hip tune buoyed by a motif that impels the rhythm section to march with a quirky step. The following track, “Joe Hill’s Last and Final Will”, is a lament for the Swedish-American activist in the title. It is stripped down to vocals over bass ahead of the disentangled brushwork and ruminative sax considerations that come next.
“War Poets” plays like one of those Dave Douglas’ off-the-rail fanfares filled with cheeky irony and lyricism. Centrally positioned, Johnston’s solo over rambunctious bass movements arrives before Sacks’ abstractions and a fine statement by Conly. In turn, “Wild Awake” kicks in with provocative melodic contours and a stimulating pop/rock backbeat. Everyone finds his own spot, placing each sound within a context.
Whereas “Trash-Basket Flowers” is tackled with a newfound restlessness, taking unexpected routes and benefiting from a drums-filled opening section and an ongoing communication within the horn section, then “John’s Song” takes the form of a gorgeously soaring waltz brushed with stark honesty. Johnston’s music is to be discovered with enjoyment and openness.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Anchorite’s Travel Guide ► 03 - War Poets ► 04 - Wild Awake