CD/LP Review: Tyshawn Sorey Trio - Continuing

Tyshawn Sorey Trio

Continuing

(Pi) www.pirecordings.com

Tyshawn Sorey makes listeners appreciate space - the wide open areas that can occur in music. He assures you that quick movement is not always necessary and sometimes having a lot of room in which to operate can be beneficial. By taking advantage of that type of thinking, the mind can appreciate subtle additions to the music. A slow, walking bass line feels like the basis for a strong narrative; a one-note bass line transforms into an infectious vamp, especially with a ride cymbal going behind it. 

All of these elements happen throughout the four-track album by Sorey (drums) with Aaron Diehl (piano) and Matt Brewer (bass). Like last year's Mesmerism and The Off-Off Broadway Guide to Synergism, Continuing features the trio playing compositions aligned with classic jazz, a departure for

the drummer/composer who has carved out a reputation as a distinctly modern player who veers towards free music. But Sorey's mind is vast and when he swings, he won't take his subject matter lightly, as this new release proves.

The deft use of space and simplicity is nothing new in jazz. One musician that used it was the late pianist Ahmad Jamal, who Sorey first heard on the advice of pianist Harold Mabern, with whom the young drummer studied at William Patterson University. Works by both pianists appear on Continuing indicating the weight of their impact on Sorey's thinking. 

Jamal's "Seleritus" lasts 15 minutes, moving casually along over a simple vamp but the results are hypnotic Brewer takes an extended bass solo that almost feels free as it soars over the solid groove beneath it, rich in details. The song reaches a crescendo that never gets heavy and when the song finally fades, the trio sounds like they could continue on.

Mabern's "In What Direction Are You Headed?" originally recorded with Lee Morgan on his final studio album, gets a little funkier and perhaps a bit repetitive. But Sorey's fills add extra color to the landscape along with Diehl's high register flourishes, with both making sure the groove doesn't run out of steam.

"Angel Eyes" is a cry-in-your-hooch tune that I always thought Nick Cave could cover. It appeared on Frank Sinatra's Only The Lonely album but my personal favorite version was done by the Four Freshman on their first ...Five Trombones concept record. The Freshman harmonies never sounded as dark blue as they did on that one, aided by the horns. The Matt Dennis tune should always be sung slowly but the Sorey Trio takes it down even further, to a snail's pace. Diehl leaves wide chasms between the phrases, connected by Brewer's stark upper register quarter notes. It adds to the heartbreak of the song. 

The group also pays tribute Wayne Shorter by opening the album with his "Reincarnation Blues," which the saxophonist first played with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers.Brewer's walking bass and Diehl's subtle chords, and notes that get staggered across the beat, sets a strong scene for what will come. A mid-chorus stop-time and Sorey's press rolls feel even more dynamic as a result.

We all need to slow down once in a while. Tyshawn Sorey presents plenty of reasons why.