Label: Biophilia Records, 2021

Personnel - Maria Grand: tenor saxophone, voice; Kanoa Mendenhall: bass, voice; Savannah Harris: drums, voice.

The multi-skilled tenor saxophonist and singer Maria Grand has been displaying her singular style in several musical contexts. Magdalena (Biophilia, 2018), her previous work, featured a larger ensemble with guitar and piano, but for Reciprocity, her third outing as a leader, she operates in the classic saxophone trio format alongside bassist Kanoa Mendenhall and drummer Savannah Harris. The inspiration for the 12 original compositions on the album came from her newborn child, with all the pieces being written while expecting.

The album’s opener, “Creation: The Joy of Being”, kicks in with layered vocals stating ‘the joy of being who I am’ to which is added the reflective tone and easy gait of the bass walks and the subtly articulate drumming. The mild climate is complemented with improvisational lines atop, but the texture becomes gritty and the pace hushed as the time passes, letting us perceive a swinging motion amidst the ambiguity.

The propulsive groove placed at the base of “Wharbi” is equipped to receive the schematic, often exotic ideas that flow from the saxophone with abundant musicality. Evolving with certitude, the piece also incorporates a fine drum solo.

On “Creation: A Home in Mind”, we find Grand extracting patterned textures from her circular breathing technique. Calmly, the space remains open, but the freedom takes the musicians into a racing swing. It sounds as if they have established a compromise between visionary expressionism and serene poise.

The two complementary parts of “Fundamental” reveal lyrical tone qualities in their own terms. Pt. I manages to put together impeccable vocals, breathy droning sounds produced by bowed bass as well as some tinging cymbal activity. In turn, the explorative Pt. II combines kinetic bass lines and jittery rhythms, with the dynamics being constantly worked out for excellence. Grand reveals to be a charming singer here (citing some lines from Khalil Gibran’s book The Prophet), an aptitude further recognized on the folk chant “Canto Manta”, an engaging horn-less rendition of a healing piece from the Venezuelan Jesus Hidalgo.

In a different context, with vocals surfacing in parallel, “Now Take, Your Day” blossoms with a cool beat-making and saxophone riffing, demarcating the gentle free funk with the throbbing rhythmic feel of hip-hop.

The absence of harmony often infuses the pieces with a relative abstraction that is never difficult but rather aural. A good example of this is the closer, “Creation: Welcome”, where the group ends up engaging in a folk jazz circularity.

Motivated by motherhood, abandoned to creativity, and sharing a bit of telepathy with her trio mates, Grand takes this experience to interesting musical places.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Wharbi ► 05 - Fundamental Pt.II ► 09 - Now Take Your Day

Label: Biophilia Records, 2018

Personnel – Maria Grand: tenor saxophone, vocals; David Bryant: piano; Fabian Almazan: piano; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Rashaan Carter: bass; Jeremy Dutton: drums + Jasmine Wilson and Amani Fela: spoken word.

Tenor saxophonist Maria Grand, a native of Switzerland, is currently based in New York, to where she moved in 2011 to pursue a more exciting musical career. After receiving deserved attention in projects of altoist Steve Coleman, one of her mentors, Ms. Grand resolved to step forward as a leader, releasing the self-produced EP Tetrawind last year. Two members of the luxurious quintet that played in the cited recording - pianist David Bryant and bassist Rashaan Carter - were summoned again to participate in Magdalena, her first full-length output. Remaining bandmates in the current working group are guitarist Mary Halvorson, pianist Fabian Almazan, and drummer Jeremy Dutton, who contribute significantly to portray modern family relationships with strict connections with Egyptian and Christian myths and the work of family therapist Virginia Satir.

Despite the quality of Jasmine Wilson’s narration on the opening statement, the first big astonishment was felt during the following tune, an oddly lyrical duet called “Imani/Walk By”, to which Grand’s beautiful, nearly inharmonious voice lends an irresistibly enchanting dimension. Here, it’s Almazan who creates the haunting piano voicings and textures behind her chant, while on “Last Year” and “Sing Unborn”, also duets, is Ms. Halvorson weaving the attractively clashing, effect-drenched underpinning that supports the bandleader’s agile vocalization.

There’s a central instrumental block on the album composed of three related compositions, each of them devised with gravitas and constructed around a particular triad while evoking mythical feminine prowess. They are “TI:Isis”, where brisk and graceful saxophone phrases decorate a solid M-Base template; “TII:Maria”, loosely built with neo-boppish idioms and rigorous dark timbres; and the spiritual “TIII: Magdalena”, a light-emitting contemplation of transparent beauty.

A remarkable achievement in Grand’s new body of work is that even static moments don’t sound stiff, thanks to the group’s unconventional rhythmic notions and evasive fluidity. There’s a conspicuous openness to different genres, like on the jazz-meets-hip-hop “Ejes Y Deseos”, yet her jazz roots are underscored on pieces such as “Where is E”, written for her sister Eleanora with a mature, fully-developed dialogue between piano and saxophone; and “Demonium”, a rhythmically mischievous exercise with clear-cut accents, amusing individual statements, and responsive interplay. Showcasing an effective blend of jazz and free funk, “Pyramid Sphere” sparks with Bryant’s rhythmic ideas, encompassing first-class motifs and opportune whirls, which, later, become affiliated with curly, fragmented saxophone lines.

There’s something magnetic and exquisitely offbeat in Grand’s compositions. Carving a niche for herself, the saxophonist speaks with an authentic voice in a fascinating album that deserves repeated listenings.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Imani/Walk By ► 06 - Last Year ► 07 - Pyramid Sphere