jakob bro septet at the village vanguard, nyc, mar 26

• photography by ©Clara Pereira / text by Filipe Freitas

Danish guitarist and composer Jakob Bro is celebrated for his pure reflective expression and penchant for celestial textures, effortlessly distilling and refining quiet sonics. At the Village Vanguard, he leads an impressive septet - featuring two bassists and two drummers - for a nearly weeklong residency. The ensemble includes Bro on guitar and effects, Chris Cheek on saxophones, Craig Taborn on piano, Anders Christensen and Larry Grenadier on bass, and Marcus Gilmore and Brian Blade on drums. To the audience’s delight, tenorist Joshua Redman joined them on stage this opening night.

With a full house, the second set began with Bro’s original composition “Pearl River” from 2007. Starting dreamily with a leading tenor-soprano melody, the piece intensifies, contracts and expands over time with plasticity, accruing textural complexity and venturing into avant-garde territory. “Dug” followed, underpinned by Grenadier’s odd-metered groove and Taborn’s intuitive accompaniment, before transitioning into a rhythmic tropicalism that inspired Cheek’s motivic tenor blowing.

Soaring originals such as “Slow One” and “Saturday Night Song”, the latter featuring Grenadier at his best, were complemented by selections by the late drummer Paul Motian: “Mumbo Jumbo”, a beautifully angular tour-de-force, showcased a distortion-packed guitar ride over a galvanized mesh of bass and drums, while “Abacus”, an impressionistic folk jazz journey, encouraged Cheek and Redman to engage in free communication. The concert concluded with a soulful hymnal dedication to Motian, “Paul”.

The perfectly poised, ambient-leaning soundworld that characterizes Bro’s compositions was discomposed and distended by this octet, probing thrilling sounds and providing ample opportunity to create spontaneously. It was an exhilarating jazz night with some of the most esteemed players out there.