Label: Blue Room Music, 2024
Personnel - John Escreet: piano; Mark Turner: tenor saxophone; Eric Revis: bass; Damion Reid: drums.
With his latest album, virtuosic pianist and intelligent composer John Escreet continues to delve into textures and structures in search of transcendence and surprise. His creative trio, featuring bassist Eric Revis and drummer Damion Reid, is expanded for The Epicenter of Your Dreams with the addition of seasoned tenor saxophonist Mark Turner. The follow-up to Seismic Shift (Whirlwind Recordings, 2022) features an eight-track program with two covers dedicated to influential pianists and six edgy signature compositions that meld rhythmic complexity and harmonic expansiveness.
The album’s leadoff track, “Call It What It Is”, dazzles with its keen sense of harmony and fluidity, showcasing the band’s strong rapport that peaks in adventurous improvisations from Turner and Escreet. The cutting-edged title track, “The Epicenter of Your Dreams”, is a through-composed odyssey that transitions from an intriguing half-awake, half-dreamy reflection to a firmly unfolded pathway wrapped in harmonic splendor. Here, a vibrant saxophone statement jitters through a dynamic vibe that shifts in the final section, allowing for an expressive bass solo over a peaceful two-chord progression.
Stanley Cowell’s “Departure No.1” and Andrew Hill’s “Erato” have the quartet putting an assertive stamp on their anatomical qualities. Swinging joyfully, the former guarantees premium post-bop delivery, culminating in a fanciful drum solo by Reid; the latter, accelerated in tempo, is an unclassifiable piece that transcends conventional jazz moods.
“Meltdown” is a collective improvisation that combines bowed bass, saxophone multiphonics, keyed-up snare patterns, and a myriad of piano constellations with occasional extended techniques. Its exploratory nature matures into the imaginative “Trouble and Activity”, which exemplifies the gear-like machinations of the group’s progressive creativity via a 10-beat cycle brewed with unison lines atop, tensile rhythmic coordination, and a series of deconstructions and expansions that motivate exciting soloing moments. Another standout track, “Lifeline”, hits the spot with sinewy angularity and seamless passages during which the levels of energy never drop.
With the assistance of his quartet mates, Escreet gives a step further in a fascinating display of self-awareness and boundless imagination. His tight blend of traditional jazz elements and modern flights of fancy is so logical and cohesive that will keep listeners eager to revisit his music.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Call It What It Is ► 05 - Trouble and Activity ► 07 - Lifeline