Bassist Eric Revis from the Branford Marsalis quartet continues his travel into the avant-garde with his new album.
Eric Revis – Slipknots Through a Looking Glass (Pyroclastic, 2020)
Eric Revis, bass; Kris Davis, piano; Bill McHenry, tenor saxophone; Darius Jones, alto saxophone; Chad Taylor, drums, mbira; Justin Faulkner, drums
There are not much of an ordinary jazz pulse on this album. From the opening track and onwards the pulse can be very aggressive and jagged and reminds me more of punk rock or heavy metal than jazz.
Or else the pulse is floating and abstract like on a track like “SpAE”. Eric Revis is a master of traditional jazz pulse as he has shown as a band member with Betty Carter and Branford Marsalis, but on his own recordings he has done a lot of experimentation and sought collaborations with like minds.
Several of them is present on this album. Like pianist Kris Davis. She sometimes prepares her piano to get a hard metallic sound out of it on the most intense pieces. She can also be the most lyrical player, as on the ballad “ProByte” where you can marvel at her harmonic ability.
Drummer Chad Taylor has played with musicians like Nicole Mitchell and Marc Ribot. His flexibility as a drummer colors this album. He can play a hard-hitting repetitive rhythm or switch to brushes on ballads or play a free when that is called for.
Bold bass
On two of the tracks drummer Justin Faulkner who have played with Eric Revis in Branford Marsalis’ quartet for more than ten years is added, but it does not alter the character of the music.
Davis and Taylor also played on Revis’ previous album Sing Me Some Cry (2017) where they formed a quartet with saxophonist Ken Vandermark. On this new album the band is expanded into a quintet with saxophonists Bill McHenry and Darius Jones who both have played this kind of experimental music.
Their roles vary greatly on this album. On the opening “Baby Renfro” they simply play a theme in unison. On “Earl & the Three-Fifths Compromise” they improvise together, alternating taking the lead. On “Shutter” they play wild screaming solos, on other tracks their saxophones sound like doors squeaking in a deserted barn.
Through it all there is Revis himself, pushing rhythmically when that is called for, or playing strong lines which holds it all together with a strong beautiful sound which shines through. He does not just experiment, but also finds valuable ways to enrich the tradition of jazz.
Jazz Desk 