Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet: Apparent Distance (2011)

GLENN ASTARITA,

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

Recent articles (1,629 total)

Published: December 28, 2011

Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet: Apparent Distance

Track review of "Part III: Source"

Cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum's craft and expansive ideological stance is firmly implanted within a modern day who's who list of cutting-edge stylists, where preconceived boundaries are slashed into fragments. With his long-running affiliation with famed multi-reedman and composer Anthony Braxton, the artist abides by a no-holds-barred belief, immersed in semi-structured musical persuasions.

Bynum plays tricks with one's psyche throughout this commissioned four-part suite. On "Part III: Source," the sextet pulls out the proverbial stops, highlighting Bynum's fertile imagination tactics. The cornetist straddles the avant-garde via abstract undertones, odd-metered bop, scrappy improvisational segments and more, while guitarist Mary Halvorson's outlandish voicings, detuned notes, and reverse-engineering metrics offer a surrealistic edge.

Bynum doesn't always reside within a dissonant mold. There are coordinated melodic horns choruses and ample soloing space amid the contrasting factors and movements designed with intersecting, geometric sound-sculpting motifs and shadowy atmospherics. The cornetist's brazen and compact lines, also featuring bass trombonist Bill Lowe's ravenous solo spot, ride above an alternating rhythmical current, seeded with tumult and visions of a societal breakdown.

Apparent Distance looms as an open-world setting, shaded with anarchy, tenderness and spellbinding group interplay.

Personnel: Taylor Ho Bynum: cornet; Jim Hobbs: alto saxophone); Bill Lowe: bass trombone, tuba; Mary Halvorson; electric guitar; Ken Filiano: acoustic bass; Tomas Fujiwara: drums.

Record Label: Firehouse 12 Records
Style: Modern Jazz