Label: Fundacja Sluchaj Records, 2026
Personnel - Sam Bardfeld: violin; Joe Fonda: bass, flute (#4); Barry Altschul: drums.
Setting the searing violin lines of Sam Bardfeld against the special rhythm carpets woven by bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Barry Altschul, the BFA Trio follows the same explorative imagination of FAB Trio and The 3Dom Factor, which feature the seasoned rhythm team with violinist Billy Bang and saxophonist Jon Irabagon, respectively. Alternating between free playing and swing, this fluid, constantly interesting avant-jazz connects composers and improvisers from three generations across seven compositions that, honoring Altschul, include originals from the three members of the band and two covers.
Altschul’s “Martin’s Stew”, a tribute to the late American drummer Stu Martin, boasts a fantastic theme, kicking off with tangled bass pizzicato before entering a train-like-motion groove in support of angular violin flights marked by tasteful melodic patterns rich in risings and decays. Altschul’s accompaniment and solo are contagiously energetic, while Fonda opts for a well-rooted arco statement.
The bassist’s droning underpinning is key to the emphatic rendition of Carla Bley’s “Ida Lupino”, where Altschul, offering vivid percussive commentary with brushes, stands behind Bardfeld’s sensitive, folksy melody. Like the piece I just described, Julius Hemphill’s blues “C” is a nod to Altschul, delivered at a brisk pace with an irrepressible swinging verve.
Bardfeld’s personal homage to the drummer and his free/swinging style, “Hurtling Between”, also works as an analogy for the tense current times. Fonda does great work here, creating an exquisite pulse based on just an interval. He also contributes one composition of his own, “GS #2”, a tribute to drummer George Schuller, whose meditative quality gradually evolves into a fearless quintuple-metered groove.
Freely improvised by the trio, “Hippie Sh*t Could Set Us Free” features Fonda on flute, pairing up with Bardfeld over Altschul’s tidal drums. The album comes to a close with Altschul’s classic “B Out School”, another free tune filled with excellent stop-and-go motion.
Bardfeld’s sinewy runs and zippy figures create a vortex of power over the well-oiled rhythm machine of Fonda and Altschul. Enthusiasts of firmly textured avant-garde jazz will find immense gratification in Hurtling Between.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Martin’s Stew ► 02 - Ida Lupino ► 05 - Hurtling Between