Jason Robinson: Ancestral Numbers II

Jason Robinson's Ancestral Numbers is "a sound meditation on genealogy and family history" and will comprise an "ongoing series of compositions for varying instrumentation." "I" and "II" are merely the starting point for an intimate investigation into the depths of the saxophonist's family tree, set in motion shortly after the passing of Robinson's grandmother. Accompanying the saxophonist/composer on this personal endeavour is a cast of top-drawer players, including Drew Gress on bass, Michael Dessen on trombone, pianist Joshua White and Ches Smith on drums.

The idiomatically wide-reaching juxtaposition of angular groove pieces and free explorations of form and sound, which made the first volume so appealing, is not quite as apparent on the second collection of tunes (both volumes are pulled from the same session in August 2023), yet what this volume might lack in free-form chamber aesthetics it more than makes up for with fiery playing, catchy heads and an overall sense of a tight-knit collective.

"Sweet Tooth" opens the set with the type of small ensemble flair that evokes the swinging drive of Art Blakey's Messengers on the one hand and the arrangement landscapes of Duke Ellington's Orchestra on the other. A hungry head start segues into Joshua White's freewheeling piano escapades, after which Robinson picks things up cooking. It all screams bebop and hard bop, virtuously executed with speed and a sense of elegance. After an extended drum solo intro, "The Return" continues in lively fashion but with an oblique twist, owing to the deconstructed nature of the beat, a candid trombone solo and an infectiously groovy bass line that proves as melodious as anything in this track.

Keen balladry turns "Ruby" into a laidback mood piece that puts the spotlight on Robinson's tasteful saxophone tone, "Deployment" is another hot swinger with a deconstructed break in the middle, while "Arrival" gives Robinson the opportunity to flex his flute abilities in an extensive way. Here, the avant-garde notion of the first volume returns, imbuing the session with a free-flowing spiritual connotation as the players explore the textural qualities of their respective instruments.

It is with this far-reaching framework of idiomatic implications and compositional approaches that Robinson and his band draw the listener in, hinting at this music's rich past—with an emphasis on the '60s—while propelling it into the ever-unpredictable present. In a way, the group thereby mirrors the project's driving theme by unfurling the music's own genealogical history.