Glass Triangle: Blue and Sun​-​lights

The transatlantic trio of electric harpist Zeena Parkins, saxophonist Mette Rasmussen and drummer Ryan Sawyer, working under the moniker Glass Triangle, reunites for Blue And Sun-Lights. It is the second release as a group following an eponymous debut recorded in 2019. The band brings together a unique set of experiences—downtown sass from Parkins, European free jazz from Rasmussen and post-punk attitude from Sawyer—and from them generates something beyond category in a program of ten off-the-wall studio encounters.

Rasmussen and Sawyer evidence a particular connection, one birthed from the saxophone/drum duets which have proliferated since John Coltrane and Rashied Ali instigated the format with Interstellar Space (Impulse, 1974). But Parkins dramatically disrupts that continuum every time she enters. With sonorities which recall electric guitar, fuzzed bass, synth or pedal steel, but nothing which resembles a harp, her custom-built instrument moves the threesome into novel territory.

The group cultivates a restless interplay which results in unlikely forms, often progressing through a loosely defined series of duets. "Beaming/Becoming Chrystal" offers the most obvious case in point. It begins with Rasmussen's multiphonic blurts braiding with Parkins' twanging bent notes in the upper registers. An accompanying drum thud locks in with staccato alto, before Parkins supplements Sawyer's rhythmic gushes with sounds reminiscent of a distorted string bass. Thereafter the three begin a nervy engagement which culminates in a repeated saxophone incantation to bring the piece to an end.

Elsewhere the trio encompass a variety of approaches. While the shorter cuts, such as the spacey improv textures of "[Moth] Territory: Full Length Mirror," maintain a consistent mood throughout, the jump cut swerves of the brief "Doo Wap Break Break" might almost serve as a sampler for the rest of the album, juxtaposing clarion saxophone wails, funky back beats and plugged in effects. At times the outfit manifests almost as a power trio, briefly in the episodic "Mosquito Mind," but in more sustained fashion at the conclusion of the final "Earth OO," where gales of saxophone shrieks, martial drums and a visceral Harley revving-snarl combine in an explosive mélange.

The blend of the familiar and the unexpected creates a heady clamor for those with open ears.