Label: Chant Records, 2020
Personnel - Xander Naylor: guitar, synths; Elijah Shiffer: alto sax; Nicholas Jozwiak: bass; Raphael Pannier: drums; Angelica Bess: vocals; Sarah Pedinotti: vocals; Alex Asher: trombone; Cole Kamen-Green: trumpet; Alec Spiegelman: baritone sax, bass clarinet.
Brooklyn-based guitarist and improviser Xander Naylor studied Western and Eastern traditions, a relevant detail underlining his multi-genre compositions. The bandleader gathers a cast of competent and well-traveled musicians to join him in Continuum, a body of work that reveals an expansive side of his musical self.
Rhythmically unbridled, “Lunar Acropolis” creates unexpected effects through fragmented rhythms, solid and compact drones in the back and the guitar at the leading. This fluid sonic journey relies on an adaptable framework whose toppings move from electronica-inspired patterns to temperamental post-rock attitudes to danceable jazz infiltrations. Naylor’s vast musical vistas are also noticeable on other acrobatic numbers such as “Pursuit”, a frenetic dance permeated with punk rock and free jazz elements, as well as “Surrender”, in which the group toggles from passive to aggressive while drawing inspiration from avant-garde jazz and noise-rock. Here, you’ll also find an engaging solo from alto saxophonist Elijah Shiffer and Indian music influences in Naylor’s guitar sound and language. These Indian flavors come off with a meditative quality on “Who Laughs First?”, where chromatic notes and bends make for a more spiritual exploration.
“Export For Screens” and “Riddlin’” are two intense distinct exercises in sound. The former, suitable for a David Lynch flick, waves darkly with fat, round bass lines and mysterious guitar, getting further stabilization when the drums switch from torpid to steadfast routines, joining an inexorable guitar figure to offer rhythmic support to the three-horn activity. The latter piece, instead, dives into a simmering prog-metal procedure with scattered focuses on noise. There’s a passage where the vocals of Angelica Bess and Sarah Pedinotti are in strict communication with Naylor’s guitar, while in another, the raw, industrious rhythm laid down by electric bassist Nicholas Jozwiak and drummer Raphael Pannier serves Shiffer’s soloing ferocity.
The group builds a triumphant conclusion with “Leverage”, an electro-avant-pop piece rhythmically exacerbated by the circularity of Alec Spiegelman’s baritone saxophone and where concurrent alto sax and guitar statements ultimately harmonize.
Controlling the density of the ideas being tossed into the swirl, Naylor manages to create a satisfying work that should resonate with anyone interested in eclectic contemporary jazz.
Grade B+
Favorite Tracks:
02 - Export For Screens ► 03 - Surrender ► 06 - Riddlin’