Label: We Jazz Records / Northern Spy Records, 2023
Personnel - Darius Jones: alto saxophone, composition; James Meger: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums; Jesse Zubot: violin; Josh Zubot: violin; Peggy Lee: cello.
American saxophonist Darius Jones embarks on an intriguing stylistic experiment leaning on hallucinatory avant-garde jazz. His new release, fLuxKit Vancouver (its suite but sacred) is a four-movement opus designed with an advanced structure that incorporates formidable ensemble playing and individual spontaneity. The work pays tribute to Vancouver itself and its artist-run center, Western Front, which commissioned it. Jones plays alongside drummer Gerald Cleaver, a kindred spirit with years of experience, and a quartet of qualified string players - violinist brothers Jesse and Josh Zubot, cellist Peggy Lee and bassist James Meger - all making significant contributions to the exceptional outcome.
“Fluxus V5T 1S1” places Jones’ deliberate alto thoughts over the low-pitched underpinning of bass and cello, while the violins create slight dissonance. Cleaver’s enveloping drumming adapts to the changing scenarios, following the bass walks to increase the pace. A free-wheeling improvisation by Jones steals the show. As for the stringed instruments, they sound cadenced in their craft but quickly diverge in paths, claiming the spotlight in the final chamber section, right after animated 12-beat cycles cause a sensation.
“Rainbow” is an 18-minute narrative that begins with Cleaver’s tasteful and expert timbres. The bass sneaks in, followed by the laser-focused strings, which move both in counterpoint and parallel, creating a certain pulsation. There’s a strung-out, unaccompanied bass passage that leads to a triple-metered groove. At this point, the band salutes and embraces interplay.
“Zubot” is ignited with abstraction, presenting spunky percussion, saxophone cries, and squeaky violins. In the sequence of a rigorously articulated passage with angled corners but unequivocal expression, the Zubots are called to improvise. And they do it beautifully.
The album closes with “Damon and Pythias”, the album’s fiercest movement that stuns while channeling mystery, energy, and spirituality in a sequence of ingenious strokes. Jones’ intonation recalls Henry Threadgill and his tremendous technique extends to dark multiphonics and visceral growls. Still, it transitions from foreboding and spooky to a soulfully breathtaking waltzing mode in a final part that brings to mind Pharoah Sanders’ spiritual prayers.
The players forge into the heat of the inventive compositions, and Jones, capable of fleeting articulated flurries as well as even-tempered sequences, confirms he’s one of the most interesting saxophonists of our times.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Fluxus V5T 1S1 ► 03 - Rainbow ► 04 - Damon and Pythias