Patricia Brennan - Of The Near And Far

Label: Pyroclastic Records, 2025

Personnel - Patricia Brennan: vibraphone with electronics, marimba; Miles Okazaki: guitar; Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Kim Cass: bass; John Hollenbeck: drums, percussion; Arktureye: electronics; Modney: violin; Pala Garcia: violin; Kyle Armbrust: viola; Michael Nicolas: cello.

Patricia Brennan, a rare and vibrant force behind the vibraphone, returns with a multi-layered experimental work involving both a jazz quintet and a string quartet, following her 2024 triumph Breaking Stretch, arguably the best album of that year. Inspired by possible symmetries in constellations and how these might be translated musically, Brennan created a map to explore new relationships between pitches, chords, and key signatures through the circle of fifths. Of The Near and Far comprises seven tracks—five named after constellations—drawing influences from contemporary classical music, twisted jazz traditions, and modern experimental soundscapes.

“Antlia” opens the record with a mechanical precision, evoking the air pump it’s named after. Persistent rhythmic patterns, agile string movements, John Hollenbeck’s fractured drumming, and Miles Okazaki’s expedient guitar lines all combine into a restless, gear-like motion. Afrobeat and EDM rhythmic fluxes underlie the structure, keeping it constantly shifting. “Aquarius” takes a more fluid direction, exploring the textural qualities of water through Brennan’s and Okazaki’s interwoven melodies, anchored by a gentle pulse in five.

“Andromeda” is light-footed yet percussive, with bass and drums playing a central role. It into veers to alternative rock territory, pushing sound and form beyond the expected as several undercurrents seem to point out simultaneous directions. The jazzier “Lyra” opens with free-floating guitar and strings, soon turning darker through Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier’s harmonic coloring and then brighter through Brennan’s radiant vibraphone improvisation, which searches for light. Its complex 8+5 opening meter eventually settles into a chamber-like 3/4 passage of lyrical counterpoint and melodic consensus before resolving in 4/4. 

On “Aquila”, the final constellation, Brennan and Okazaki engage in enigmatic, kinetic interplay before the string quartet joins with buoyant cadence and exuberance. The two remaining pieces—“Citlalli”, an abstract electroacoustic sound collage derived from graphic scores, and “When You Stare Into the Abyss”, steeped in Kubrick-like electronic tension—expand the album’s cinematic reach. 

Though not as stunning as Breaking Stretch, Of The Near and Far thrives on curiosity, courage, and invention. Its mathematical approaches and spontaneous developments take time to absorb, revealing a music of pure risk and imagination—fearless, unguarded, and free from convention.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 - Antlia ► 03 - Andromeda ► 05 - Lyra

Patricia Brennan Septet - Breaking Stretch

Label: Pyroclastic Records, 2024

Personnel - Patricia Brennan; vibraphone with electronics, marimba; Jon Irabagon: alto and sopranino saxophones; Mark Shim: tenor saxophone; Adam O’Farrill: trumpet (with electronics on #1,3,9); Kim Cass: bass; Marcus Gilmore: drums; Mauricio Herrera: percussion.

This tour-de-force septet album from New York-based vibraphonist Patricia Brennan showcases her dedication and expansive approach to composition. Breaking Stretch is lushly conceived, with occasional cultural references to the Caribbean and Latin America, offering intriguing textures, varying pulses, cohesive ensemble passages, and probing improvisation. Brennan, whose mallet-induced vibes shimmer through each track, trusts an incisive three-horn frontline—trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and saxophonists Jon Irabagon and Mark Shim—to join her More Touch Quartet, featuring bassist Kim Cass, drummer Marcus Gilmore, and percussionist Mauricio Herrera.

The soca music-inspired “Los Otros Yo” sets a colorful rhythmic matrix at the intersection of avant-garde jazz and calypso. A concise, to-the-point theme gives way to exuberant solos by Brennan and O’Farrill, who enhances his sound with electronic effects, and then a passage where Irabagon and Shim swap angular licks, their horns singing simultaneously in a thrilling display of vitality. The title cut, “Breaking Stretch”, opens with a triangular horn dialogue, its deep-rooted bass contributing to a juxtaposition of binary and ternary rhythmic feels. The resulting enigmatic atmosphere is reminiscent of Henry Threadgill’s sonic explorations, with Shim populating it with dark tones and fractal interpolation. Shim also takes center stage on “555”, a piece based on a rhythmic sequence of three beats divided by five. Cass provides a free funk substructure for the vibraphone solo, and Irabagon finishes the proceedings with a stratospheric display of tonal abundance. “Palo De Oros” stands out as a favorite, introduced by Cass with harmonics, vibratos, and impeccable articulations before unfolding into a 10-beat rhythmic cycle. The time signature shifts throughout a gripping arrangement that includes precise horn unisons, hooky solos, triumphant transitions, and frenetic drumming marking the final vamp. 

“Sueños de Coral Azul” brings a breezier mood, serving as a nostalgic nod to Brennan’s Mexican hometown, Vera Cruz. Meanwhile, “Five Sun” blends Latin and funk elements in an infectious, electrified romp driven by a key-shifting bass figure and invigorated by accents and rhythmic stretches. The album closes with the dazzling, disorienting “Earendel”.

The musicians are at the top of their games, feeding off one another’s energy organically and navigating every compositional challenge without a glitch. Breaking Stretch is an impressive showcase of Brennan’s broad musical vision and stands as one of the year’s strongest jazz releases. 

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Los Otros Yo ► 04 - Palo de Oros ► 09 - Earendel

Patricia Brennan - More Touch

Label: Pyroclastic Records, 2022

Personnel - Patricia Brennan: vibraphone; Kim Cass: double bass; Mauricio Herrera: percussion; Marcus Gilmore: drums.

More Touch is a courageous step and important record from Patricia Brennan, a wonderful vibraphonist who is rapidly becoming one of the most innovative on today’s contemporary jazz scene. The nature of her compositions gives the quartet the chance to stretch and test boundaries, and the musicians respond by adding a unique dimension to her creative vein. Brennan is seen shoulder to shoulder with a talented rhythm team: bassist Kim Cass, who is an expert in form, texture and groove; the skillful Cuban percussionist Mauricio Herrera; and Marcus Gilmore, an unreservedly modern drummer who surprises in every project he participates.

The rhythmically charged “Unquiet Respect” opens with a samba sequence, later given harmonic perspective with Cass’ groovy underpin and Brennan’s rapturous vibing work. Slightly bendable in pitch, her trance jazz dance from the outer space resulted from the mix of reggae and soca (a blend of African and East Indian rhythms) of her hometown of Veracruz, Mexico.

The title cut can be classified as a psychedelic electro ambient that gets polyrhythmically turbulent before the ending. Reserved but with a sophisticated intimate ambiance, “The Woman Who Weeps” is a modal-induced exertion whose strong spiritual connotation comes from its inspiration: the Mother of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa).

Clocking in at nearly 15 minutes, “Space for Hour” is all about space, silence and atmospheric enchantment. Attentive listeners will detect ghostly moments, vamping grooves, impeccable rhythmic accentuation, and passionate improvs. The fascination created by the jazz harmonies and its fearless drive can also be heard on “El Nahualli (The Shadow of Soul)”, whose odd-metered theme Brennan defines with a great melodic sense. Having its immense percussive work as a consistent sustain, this piece emanates a strange warmth throughout.

Cass becomes an undertow of his own conscience during the explanatory bass intro of “Convergences”, as well as in the first part of “Robbin”, which firstly depicts silent snowy landscapes before expanding horizons with a rock-inspired texture that approves spontaneity. The quartet finalizes with the ritualistic “And There Was Light”, where the Batá drums, largely used in Cuba’s Santeria, is preponderant. 

There’s nothing conventional here, with Brennan trailing a musical path that we very much urge you to explore.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Unquiet Respect ► 03 - Space for Hour ► 04 - El Nahualli