Inception

Drummer Jovia Armstrong showcases her Eunoia Society group on her fusion-inspired 2023 album Inception. A Detroit native who honed her skills in Chicago, where she was a member of the experimental AACM, Armstrong gained wider attention after relocating to the West Coast and pursuing a PhD at the University of California Irvine as part of their Integrated Composition Improvisation and Technology program. It was out of that process that she recorded 2022s The Antidote Suite, a genre-bending collaboration with flute player and producer Nicole Mitchell that touched upon avant-garde jazz, fusion, and hip-hop sounds. Also joining her on that album was her longtime group Eunoia Society, featuring violinist Leslie DeShazor and bassist Damon Warmack. With Inception, Armstrong expands the groups lineup, bringing along guitarist Sasha Kashperko. The result is a production that very much feels like a companion to The Antidote Suite as Armstrong crafts a heady blend of electric jazz fusion, atmospheric soundscapes, and hip-hop-informed rhythms. Theres a dreamy, organic vibe to the album as "Creation" and "Birth" marry crisp funk-informed grooves with Warmacks woozy bass lines. Showcased throughout the album is violinist DeShazor, whose searing string lines nicely evoke the work of 70s jazz violin luminaries like Michel Urbaniak and Jean-Luc Ponty. Similarly, guitarist Kashperko often employs effects pedals, conjuring spacey wah-wah sounds and acidic riffs that call to mind the edgy harmonies of John MacLaughlins work with Mahavishnu Orchestra. While there is certainly a throwback 70s influence at play in Armstrong and Eunoia Societys work, they keep things fresh on songs like the closing "Hide, Then Seek," with its ear-popping blend of swinging, post-bop violin lines and driving, trap-style beats. ~ Matt Collar