Label: Whirlwind Recordings, 2022
Personnel - Walter Smith III: tenor saxophone; Matthew Stevens: guitar; Kris Davis: piano; Dave Holland: bass; Terri Lyne Carrington: drums.
The saxophonist Walter Smith III and the guitarist Matthew Stevens drew a flurry of attention with their co-led project In Common, launched in 2017. Enjoying ample possibilities of layering, the duo invites different musicians to join them for each recording, and this freshly cooked third installment arguably boasts the best lineup ever. The piano chair is entrusted to the inventive Kris Davis, who brings a freer side to the music, and the foundation couldn’t be in better hands, with the superb bassist Dave Holland and the dynamic drummer Terry Lyne Carrington sharing rhythmic duties.
It was with this rhythm duo in mind that Stevens composed “Loping”, one of the album’s highlights. Flowing beautifully with a triple time feel and a magnetic groove that draws you in, the piece features Smith’s elastic phrasing on tenor as he displays sequences of notes that jump in and out of the chordal patterns with tremendous flexibility. Stevens' guitar illuminates everything with mighty clarity.
This ensemble gives the nod to shorter themes and improvisation. This comes into view on “Shine”, where relaxed saxophone lines are affixed to articulated guitar pointillism in gratitude to important jazz musicians that recently passed away (McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea and Jimmy Heath are among them); “Oliver”, which creates some more urgency around a specific riff, displaying a relentless piano ostinato and gorgeous guitar effects; “Prince July”, whose big-sound post-bop grooves high; “Orange Crush”, whose dancing ostinato gives it a lively impression; and “For Some Time”, where an Afro-Brazilian exoticism is achieved through melodious piano mixed with slinky rhythms and jazzy melodies.
The versatility is enormous, and the musicians shift easily from one music idiom to the next. The moods are quite distinct but the ultimate outcome spectacularly coheres, making us want to go back to the beginning and hear everything again. If “Reds”, a bluesy number in a rock outfit, features delightful bass and saxophone solos with an odd-metered vibe that recalls Holland’s 1999 album Extensions, then the playful “Hornets” is a balanced piece of fusion that summons up the rock-ish post-bop joyrides between John Scofield and Joe Lovano. In contrast with these two are the brooding “Shutout” - the darkest piece on the album - and the spacey “Dust”, an avant-garde abstraction brought to a simmer by prepared piano, acoustic guitar, and replicas of delay-effected tenor.
Another remarkable moment arrives with “After”, which, introduced and concluded as a ballad, thrives with a middle section in five that welcomes a sparkling touch of bolero in the rhythm. Here, the co-leaders create a soft-hued polyphony as they communicate. This is a classy and entrancing contemporary work with exceptional combinations of sounds.
Favorite Tracks:
02 - Loping ► 06 - After ► 08 - For Some Time