Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Matthew Sheens: Every Eight Seconds

4

Matthew Sheens: Every Eight Seconds

By

Sign in to view read count
Matthew Sheens: Every Eight Seconds
Debut recordings can sometimes suffer from a little too much subservience to the jazz cannon, as musicians perhaps wish to stamp their jazz credentials from the get go, or as is the case with Australian-born, New York-based pianist Matthew Sheens' Every Eight Seconds they can announce a refreshingly personal voice. Sheen—a former student of pianists Fred Hersch and Jason Moran—exhibits a flair for melody and a broad vocabulary that leans towards the contemporary. There's also strong rhythmic heart, both in Sheens' dancing improvisations and in the compositional structures that frame them.

Sheens does delve into the Great American Songbook on Rogers and Hammerstein's "It Might as Well be Spring" and Cole Porter's "Who said Gay Paree?" These duets with singer Sara Serpa adopt a delightfully simple approach with little adornment of the well-known melodies. Serpa sings in her native Portuguese on the sunny samba tune "Fala Ingles," with Brazilian percussionist Rogerio Boccato adding infectious rhythms. Serpa brings her exquisite blend of classical form and jazz freedom to "The Anesthetic of Familiarity" and the title track. Her hybrid style goes hand-in-glove with Sheens inclusive approach to musical idiom. On "Every Eight Seconds" Sheens, Serpa and guitarist Quentin Bryan Angus skip effortlessly together in breezy unison lines.

Another notable improvising singer, Ji Hye Kim shines on "The Rain Stays Mainly in Jamaica Plain." Sheen's composition draws from jazz, classical and folk idioms, though in the melodic flow the diverse elements are as one. Piano, guitar and voice dovetail joyously, propelled by drummer Colin Stranahan's driving rhythms and anchored by Linda May Han Oh's spare bass lines. On "Death on a Sunny Day" Sheens combines with clarinetist Adam Kolker in a dancing duet that has a little of the gaiety of an Irish reel in its veins as well as a more formal, classical influence.

A somber tone colors the piano intro to "Chernobyl," though the entrance of bass and drums steers the composition into livelier waters. On this, the only piano trio number of the set, Oh and Sheens' both solo though the common denominator with all Sheens' compositions is the primacy of group interplay over individual exhibitionism. "Cringe Culture" is a companion piece to "Death on a Sunny Day," with Sheens and Kolker again joining in light-hearted celebration characterized by tightly woven unison lines.

Even before this impressive debut, Sheens had pocketed two Downbeat awards for his prowess as a soloist. There's certainly evidence of his flair throughout but these flashes of improvisational élan are sparingly released. Perhaps more striking is Sheens' compositional strength. These first-rate musicians turn in excellent performances but the collective is at the service of the melody, which is central to Sheens' writing. Every Eight Seconds is a highly satisfying debut that simultaneously delivers on a cerebral and emotional level. On this evidence there's surely a lot more to come from the talented Sheens.

Track Listing

The Rain Stays Mainly in Jamaica Plain; Fala Ingles; Death on a Sunny Death; It Might as well be Spring; Chernobyl; The Anesthetic of Familiarity; Cringe Culture; Every Eight Seconds; Who said gay Paree?

Personnel

Ji Hye Kim: voice (1); Adam Kolker: clarinet (3, 7); Quentin Angus: guitar; Matthew Sheens: piano; Linda Oh: double bass; Colin Stranahan: drums; Rogerio Boccato: percussion.

Album information

Title: Every Eight Seconds | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Self Produced

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.