Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Shan Kenner Trio: Brooklyn Sketches

247

Shan Kenner Trio: Brooklyn Sketches

By

View read count
Shan Kenner Trio: Brooklyn Sketches
Brooklyn Sketches is a genre-bending, highly energetic album by New York-based guitarist Shan Kenner. Kenner's modern approach to improvising and his constant need to explore new realms of dissonance and rhythmic tension provide for some very interesting moments on the record. Not to be outdone, the rhythm section of Ryan Berg on bass and Rudy Royston on drums prove to be a dynamic pair in both solo and ensemble settings. Both of these talented musicians are equally comfortable when pushing Kenner to new improvisational heights with their comping as they are creating improvised solos of their own. All of these factors, along with a high level of musicianship, combine to create a recording that is both sonically compelling and intellectually stimulating.

The tunes on the album were all written by Kenner with the exception of Chick Corea's "Windows" and Miles Davis' "Blue in Green." The arrangements tend to be very loose, in a good way, including "The Bulldog," which blurs the lines between pre-written and spontaneous composition. As well, the title track mixes elements of Western art music with modern jazz to produce an engaging and sophisticated sound painting of the New York borough. The openness of the form and feel of each tune allows an intimate look into each player's musical persona throughout the album, drawing attention to their individual voices as well as the group dynamic as a whole.

Kenner's playing is difficult to categorize, as he is constantly drawing from a wide variety of influences in his improvisations. There is certainly an element of the freedom of late period John Coltrane and early Ornette Coleman in Kenner's approach to time and feel. His lines are not built from the usual 8th and 16th note rhythms that most traditional players favor in their solos and melodic interpretations. Instead, Kenner prefers to build his melodic and harmonic ideas with groups of five and seven notes, as well as oddly placed triplet figures that push around the bar line. These unusual groupings of notes create an atmosphere where the tempo is constantly fluctuating, bringing an almost malleable feel to the time. This provides for a sense of rhythm that is rooted less in bar lines and constant note patterns, and more in the ebb and flow of the ensemble as a whole.

Kenner is constantly striving to break new ground with his use of abstract rhythms and complex harmonic and melodic ideas throughout Brooklyn Sketches. Though this is a formidable task for any musician, Kenner and his trio rely on their strong musicianship and group dynamic to breathe new life into the jazz guitar trio genre, all the while maintaining an emotional connection to the music.

Track Listing

The Bulldog; Windows; Substance; Holding Pattern; Brooklyn Sketches; Forgotten Agenda; Blue in Green; Swiftness; Evan (Dedicated to Evan Farrell).

Personnel

Shan Kenner
guitar, electric

Shan Kenner: guitar; Ryan Berg: bass; Rudy Royston: drums.

Album information

Title: Brooklyn Sketches | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.