Label: Zennez Records, 2023
Personnel - Suzan Veneman: trumpet; Zack Lober: bass; Sun-mi Hong: drums.
The musical career of Canadian-born bassist and composer Zack Lober spans two decades and is filled with constructive collaborations as a sideman. Saxophonist Chet Doxas and flutist Jamie Baum are some of the examples. Lober, who's also a DJ and turntablist and lived 11 years in NYC before moving to the Netherlands, also played with David Binney, John Escreet and Dan Weiss in his Ancestry Project, a multimedia quintet performance concerning the life of his family, as it was told to him by his Polish grandfather.
The opening cut from his debut album, No Fill3r, was drawn from the latter project, showing syntactic maturity in the language of Dutch trumpeter Suzan Veneman and a mix of earthiness and coolness in the rhythmic mesh weaved by Lober and South Korean drummer Sun-mi Hong. The piece in question, called “Mid Music”, is a strong introduction to the trio, preserving a swinging flow and illustrating gracious melodic angularities that are redolent of Ornette Coleman.
The mind-set of the trio maintains high standards in the gorgeously soothing “Force Majeure”, which refers to forces that are greater than ourselves. It’s delivered in six with a solid core and a beautiful songlike touch. Things go more frenzied on the title track, a freely improvised number that jangles and bubbles with polyrhythmic interplay while pushing the envelope of the trumpet-bass-drums format. There’s jazz, rock and electronic music influence here, and the bass hooks that pin the groove dissipate into the next number, “Blues”. The latter may sound archetypal in its 12-bar progression but is melodically off-grid.
The threesome has found common ground in these compact compositions, and “Chop Wood”, inspired by Buddhism and its benevolent philosophy, flows under soft brushes and a more eloquent, if loose, bass drive. Sober trumpet lines populate this pavement and contribute to making “Luck (Alice)”, penned for Lober’s wife, a cheerful song.
Lober plays with inspiring self-respect but also shows recognition for his peers and their sounds. Their willingness to create new music is very much sensed in this positive debut recording.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Mid Music ► 02 - Force Majeure ► 04 - No Fill3r