Label: Red Brick Hill, 2026
Personnel - Harry Skoler: clarinet; Bill Frisell: guitar; Dezron Douglas: bass; Johnathan Blake: drums.
With a voice unmistakably his own, clarinetist and composer Harry Skoler traverses a variety of open-ended atmospheres, displaying an instinctive ability to merge traditional jazz language with contemporary sensibilities in ways that continue to shape his artistic identity. On his seventh album as a leader, Echoes—a tribute to his jazz heroes—Skoler is joined by guitar visionary Bill Frisell and reunited with the rhythm section from Red Brick Hill (Sunnyside, 2024): bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Johnathan Blake. Produced once again by saxophonist Walter Smith III, the album draws from familiar ingredients while embracing a welcome sense of risk through occasional ventures into avant-garde territory.
“Evocation” and “Allusion”, two irresistibly poignant clarinet-guitar duets, open and close the album with understated beauty. Short atmospheric interludes appear throughout, but “Study in Orange”—dedicated to pianist Bill Evans—marks the first rhythmically compelling moment, propelled by the superb interplay of Douglas and Blake, who know precisely when to intensify and when to simply sustain the flow. Frisell settles into an introspective, cinematic mood, while Skoler’s clarinet lines evoke dreamlike imagery and quiet fantasy.
“JW, Michelangelo & 40 Cent Burger”—a tribute to pianist James Williams—features Douglas’ bass dancing gracefully over a lilting waltz pulse. The bassist initiates the improvisational sequence before Frisell contributes a highly methodical and texturally rich solo, followed by Skoler, who makes a vivid impression by pushing beyond conventional boundaries with passionate phrasing.
“Marian”, dedicated to pianist Marian McPartland, possesses the softness and elegance of velvet, while “Thank You”—for Teddy Wilson—may appear elusive in direction yet reveals intriguing rhythmic dynamics and groove interplay. “Waiting Patiently”, honoring clarinetist Benny Goodman, is stirred effervescently in a vamping 3/4 flux marked by a sturdy groove.
“Pow!”—a salute to vibraphone master Lionel Hampton—takes shape as a whimsical avant-garde excursion, centered on riff-based volleys against a slower harmonic backdrop and Blake’s restless percussive agitation. It also includes an unaccompanied drum passage. The quartet’s gift for expanding minimal material into richly textured interaction is equally evident on “Never Played in Syracuse”, dedicated to Miles Davis, a cyclical funk-infused pop-rock piece where Skoler improvises fervently over distorted guitar harmonies.
The quartet has developed a genuine musical empathy that radiates throughout the recording, making Echoes an album that rewards repeated listening.
Favorite Tracks:
02 - Study in Orange ► 03 - JW, Michelangelo & the 40 Cent Burger ► 11 - Pow!
