Label: Intakt Records, 2024
Personnel - Stephan Crump: acoustic bass; Kris Davis: piano; Eric McPherson: drums.
The Borderlands Trio, a unit co-led by resourceful musicians and established figures in the creative music world such as bassist Stephan Crump, pianist Kris Davis, and drummer Eric McPherson, is adept at amorphous, often knotty musical settings that sound natural to the ear. Their third release, a double album called Rewilder, is marked by assured improvised frameworks built with freedom and patience, and with a penchant for nuance and subtlety. Drawing spontaneously from a wide musical palette that spans avant-garde jazz, modern classical, experimental chamber music, and even world fusion, the trio crafts mesmerizing sonic tapestries.
The opener, “Cyclops Mountain”, starts off languidly, immersed in a rubato introduction before delving into intriguing grooves and motions. Piano motifs succeed one after the other, and folk melodies appear here and there over hazy bass walks and rattling percussion. “Axolotl” follows suit, initially somber and contemplative - centered on bowed bass and prepared piano with a vibing, percussive trait - before transitioning into melodic and harmonic clarity.
Spanning over 18 minutes, “Monotreme” showcases bemusing and fearless interplay. Bass and drums take their way, riding avenues with more or less speed and impetus, ending up in a swinging buoyancy over which Davis propagates thrilling cascades, prominent pulsations, and oblique melodic invention. On the heels of a compelling arco bass statement and moments of fun piano activity, the trio concludes on a symbiotic groovy note. “Tree Shrimp” closes the first disc, infusing an intrinsic hip-hop vibration in the beat, irresistibly funky bass imprints, and wooden xylophone-like sounds via prepared piano, before a decisive swinging flight toward abstraction.
The second disc comprises three large-canvas improvisations delivered with control and authority. The tense pulsations of “Echidna” stand out, forming a delightfully percussive bubble that keeps you trapped in its confines. Rewilder provides a thrilling listening experience filled with surprises and musical liberation.
Favorite Tracks:
02 (CD1) - Axolotl ► 04 (CD1) - Monotreme ► 02 (CD2) - Echidna