Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Phil Markowitz/Zach Brock: Perpetuity

4

Phil Markowitz/Zach Brock: Perpetuity

By

Sign in to view read count
Phil Markowitz/Zach Brock: Perpetuity
The debut collaboration between veteran pianist Phil Markowitz and rising star violinist Zach Brock focuses on a shared love of questioning and questing through sound(s). Each man brings five originals to the table for this project, and most of them serve to highlight their common interest(s) in angular exploration, dovetailing designs, and scenarios that encourage searching.

Markowitz brings a wealth of experience to the table, having worked with everybody from trumpeter Chet Baker to guitarist Al Di Meola to saxophonist Dave Liebman over the past four decades; he hasn't recorded much as a leader, but then again, he hasn't had to, as his dance card has been pretty full. Brock, a relative newcomer who's gained a good deal of attention for a pair of leader dates on the Criss Cross imprint, stands tall as one of the notable post-millennial voices in jazz violin. Together, they make music that's both absorbing and intriguing.

Queries, curve balls, conundrums, and calculated moves are all part of the deal here. There are meticulously-crafted, deviously-delivered numbers ("Triple Dutch"), active outings built with specific intervallic formulas ("Six Pack"), slowly drifting looks into the unknown ("Nebulae"), and high-energy modal jaunts ("Rongtone"). Along the way, Markowitz delivers heavy ideas without a heavy touch and Brock marries the bold with the mannered, bringing a stinging brilliance to the fore during the fiery material and dialing it back a few notches in mellower environs. Both men prove to be individual thinkers when it's solo time, but they show themselves to be simpatico collaborators elsewhere, engaging in call-and-response episodes, prancing along together through difficult lines, and working without a safety net as a duo ("Mirrors"). The sidemen here—players like Obed Calvaire, the highly regarded drummer who appears on Brock's Purple Sounds (Criss Cross, 2014), and Jay Anderson, the well-respected bassist who can be heard in Markowitz's trio on Catalysis (Sunnyside, 2008)—do a predictably fine job, but it's the relationship between the leaders that makes this date. Markowitz and Brock make for quite a combination.

Track Listing

Perpetuity; Triple Dutch; Fractures; Six Pack; Nebulae; Notorious "Z"; Burning Lake; Rongtone; Mirrors; Ankle Biter

Personnel

Phil Markowitz: piano, keyboards; Zach Brock: violin; Jay Anderson: acoustic bass; Lincoln Goines: electric bass; Obed Calvaire: drums; Edson "Cafe" Da Silva: percussion.

Album information

Title: Perpetuity | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Dot Time Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.