Label: AUM Fidelity, 2021
Personnel - William Parker: double bass; Ava Mendoza: electric guitar; Gerald Cleaver: drums.
Bassist, composer and bandleader William Parker has been at the forefront of the creative jazz scene for decades. His music and stunning bass playing keep high standards of quality whether he plays in small ensembles or big bands, and he never turns his back to innovation and spontaneous creativity.
One of his latest records, Mayan Space Station, immediately caught my ear. Comprising six improvised numbers that will attract fans of fleshed indie rock, free jazz and groove-centered music alike, the album features a fearless, progressive avant-jazz trio that includes the up-and-coming guitarist Ava Mendoza and the versatile, sought-after drummer Gerald Cleaver.
“Tabasco” opens the record with a lucid, dance-inviting groove containing thrashing bass plucks and occasional tumultuous drum fills. This serves as a sustain for the cathartic post-rock forays of Mendoza. Parker devises a more intricate groove for “Rocas Rojas”, where the anthemic distorted guitar and patterned mosaics of toms and cymbals gradually converge to a final psychedelic haze.
If “Domingo”, which accommodates a fluttery abstraction, goes from an unorthodox walking bass to a more perceptible and rounded groove with slick details and percussive moment, then “The Wall Tumbles Down” swings from the very beginning, paving the ground for a saturated guitar statement delivered with a country-rockish vibe and echoing some of the Led Zeppelin’s charisma. The latter piece evolves into moody territory with siren-laden ostinatos for a broodier sense of danger.
“Mayan Space Station”, whose title is a conduit for peace and inspiration that invites us to space traveling through music, is an absorbing shapeshifter where the excellent team of Parker and Cleaver works the rhythmic flow in many ways while changing directions. Their throbbing propulsion undergirds Mendoza’s electric shrieks, which, later on, wildly contrasts with Parker’s bowed bass. The taut drum chops are intensified and a groove in five takes us to the conclusion.
In comparison, “Canyons of Light” brings more atmospheric awe in its suspended first half, getting piercingly austere as it moves forward.
Parker’s new trio navigates high peaks and deep valleys with a riotously unpredictable temper and exploding energy. Check it out for yourself and feel the groove.
Grade A
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Tabasco ► 02 - Rocas Rojas ► 04 - Mayan Space Station