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Dan Weiss Trio: Dedication
ByThe album's nine dedicatees run quite a gamut of influences. Unsurprisingly, Elvin Jones gets a tune, but so too do filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, and Burt Bacharach. And there is a corresponding logic to each, allowing the trio to cover a lot of stylistic territory while still sounding cohesiveundoubtedly the product of the musicians' long-standing history going back to their debut record in 2006, Now Yes When (Tone of a Pitch Music). "For Tim Smith" gets the proceedings off to an animated start, fueled by a rock-tinged rhythm which does justice to the late Cardiacs' frontman, but with enough shifts in tempo and meter to bear the earmarks of a Weiss composition. Other pieces are even more technically impressive. "For Nancarrow" (dedicated to composer Conlon Nancarrow) is a veritable rhythmic puzzle, with a relentless barrage of divergent time signatures and astonishingly difficult drum patterns, and "For Elvin" displays the polyrhythmic facility of its namesake convincingly.
Yet despite the abundant opportunities for the leader to display his chops, this is most certainly a trio record, as Morgan and Sacks are given plenty of space to exhibit the tuneful dimension of Weiss' compositions. "For Vivienne" is a beautiful ballad dedicated to Weiss' daughter, and Morgan gets a solo turn which is perfect in its spare reserve, with Sacks showing similar restraint to let the melody emerge fully. "For George Floyd" finds the right balance between anger and resilience, anchored by another strong tune from Weiss and suitably nuanced contributions from Morgan and Sacks, while "For Bacharach" might be as close to a "pop" theme as Weiss will getbut it works well here, with a loving tribute that is given additional heft by Sacks' muscular chords and some nimble interjections from Morgan. The album's closer, "For Grandma May," is perhaps the album's most touching piece, with striking emotional vulnerability and graceful tranquility.
As talented as Weiss may be as a percussionist, his refusal to let his virtuosity get in the way of the beauty of the music is noteworthy, and Dedication is another excellent entry in his estimable catalog.
Track Listing
For Tim Smith; For Vivienne; For Nancarrow; For George Floyd; For Jacob; For Andrei Tarkovsky; For Bacharach; For Elvin; For Grandma May.
Personnel
Album information
Title: Dedication | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Cygnus Recordings
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Dan Weiss Trio
Album Review
Troy Dostert
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Dedication
Cygnus Recordings
Dan Weiss
Jacob Sacks
Thomas Morgan
Elvin Jones