Katalyst JID013

The 13th volume in Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammads Jazz Is Dead series offers a significant change in the labels aesthetic. Its first wave of releases focused on re-engaging American and Brazilian jazz legends of the 1970s, wedding their pioneering jazz-funk and samba fusions to modern hip-hop and jazz grooves. The Katalyst Collective is an Inglewood-based ensemble founded in 2014, composed of younger contemporary producers, composers, and session musicians. Their lone album was last years phenomenal Nine Lives on Alpha Pup. Drummer Greg Paul leads the group. Other members include pianists/keyboardists Brian Hargrove and Brandon Cordoba, saxophonists David Otis and Corbin Jones, trumpeter Emile Martinez, trombonist Jonah Levine, bassist Marlon Spears, and percussionist Ahmad DuBose-Dawson. Younge adds additional instrumental support here and co-produced with Muhammad. These seven tracks were written in common and are presented as an uninterrupted suite; each track segues seamlessly into the next. Opener "The Avenues" is introed by Pauls breaking hip-hop beats, buoyed by electric guitars, synth, piano, and a gorgeous alto sax melody from Otis. The groove is relaxed yet funky with an Eastern tinge as DuBose-Dawson accompanies Paul with congas and djembes. It slips into the languid "Daybreak," performed by a sextet. The interplay between Otis and electric and acoustic pianos is deep and intuitive, as Spears rubbery bassline provides Paul with a funky anchor. "Corridors" is appended by an army of percussionists. Fueled by electric pianos and layers of electronics, its summery groove is articulated by Pauls syncopated breaks with staggered harmonic conversation between Otis and Levine atop a host of infectious handclaps. On "Summer Solstice," trombone and trumpet carry the modal melody before delivering individual solos. Acoustic piano and Rhodes frame electric guitars and atmospheric synth. It expands with waves of luxuriant textures, propulsive dynamics, and dramatic force before giving way to buoyant carnival rhythms on the celebratory "Juneteenth." A percussion section accents and highlights Pauls exploratory pulse as brass and reeds converse by alternately stating the theme, then underscoring it with creative solo snippets. Younges clavinet joins the Rhodes piano as Paul and percussionists make them swing. "Dogon Cypher" is an expansive take on the 70s-style Blaxploitation soundtracks. All four horn players get in on the action as Cordoba and Hargrove go head-to-head, juxtaposing electric keyboards and acoustic piano amid crashing snare breaks, swelling monophonic synths, and electric guitars. The set closes on the jam-like "Reflections." It commences with heavily reverbed piano and vibes before Pauls shuffling hip-hop rhythm becomes its engine. Striated harmonies from brass and reed players offer a vampy pulse atop wah-wah guitars, clavinet, and massive percussion; they are eclipsed, however, by canny solo spots. Katalyst JID013 is a welcome shift in direction for the label that offers a fresher approach than some of its earlier entries. This set is abundant in collective creativity, musical imagination, and killer instinct. ~ Thom Jurek

ジャズ・イズ・デッドが送る第2シリーズ、ジーン・カーンに続く第3弾には、LAシーン最注目ジャズ・コレクティヴのカタリストが登場。自分たちの音楽スタイルを〈コンテンポラリー・インストゥルメンタル〉と表現し、個々のメンバーが裏方として一流の顔ぶれと共演を繰り返してきただけにミッドナイト・アワーの二方との絡みも堂に入ったものだ。シリーズ最高クラスの技の多彩さや奥行きの広さに圧倒されてしまう。
bounce (C)野村有正