Label: Contagious Music, 2023
Personnel - Chris Speed: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Shane Endsley: trumpet; Billy Mohler: bass; Nate Wood: drums.
Bassist Billy Mohler’s third album with his chord-less quartet showcases an impressive melodic sensibility and an adventurous groove-centered approach, integrating rhythmic elements from pop/rock and contemporary jazz. Not surprising as Ultraviolet follows the success of Focus! (Make Records, 2019) and Anatomy (Contagious Music, 2022) with distinction. The nine compelling compositions here unfold with sly amusement and seem tailor-made for this ensemble The band boasts a robust frontline with saxophonist Chris Speed and trumpeter Shane Endsley, with drummer Nate Wood joining Mohler in the creation of sharp-edged rhythmic foundations.
“Matador” is the short yet beautiful miniature piece that opens the album, leading into the title cut, “Ultraviolet”, one of the first compositions crafted for this program and recorded in a single take. The track begins with Mohler’s big, round sound generating the insane groove that will give the floor to the theme’s unison statement. The inherent rock spirit continues throughout “The Wait”, seasoned with a bass and drums expertise that dispenses any harmonic instrument. There’s ample space for the melodic traits of Speed and Endsley, whose expertly crafted phrases intertwine freely before revisiting the main theme. Also with a controlled pace but prescinding from this dimensional groovy atmosphere, the hypnotic “Aberdeen” pays homage to Kurt Cobain, the late frontman of Nirvana.
The joyous abandon of “Evolution” directs our attention to a bluesy avant-garde jazz reminiscent of greats like Ornette Coleman and the fruitful collaboration between Don Cherry and Dewey Redman. The exploration of rhythmic aesthetics reaches a peak in “Disorder II”, a danceable, looping exercise that suggest a combination of PIL and Prodigy while confining the duo of horn players to focused team work. Wood claims the spotlight in the last segment, infesting it with booming drum breaks.
One notable aspect of the album is the judicious length of the tracks. “Reconstruction”, the lengthiest piece at eight minutes, never succumbs to a sense of prosaic wandering. It’s a blues-based exertion with an appealing gravitational pull and horn trajectories skillfully enveloped in a reverb effect during post-production.
It’s all here, in a fusion of creativity, well-crafted grooves, masterful solos, and lively polyphonic interplay. An album that invites listeners to fully immerse themselves in its vibrant offerings.
Favorite Tracks:
03 - Disorder II ► 04 - The Wait ► 09 - Reconstruction