Dan Weiss: Even Odds

Drummer and composer Dan Weiss turns his experiments and percussion exercises into compositions on this trio recording Even Odds. In other words, he composes, not on a piano, but with his drum kit for the twenty tracks heard here. That fact may not be groundbreaking except that Weiss recorded those tracks and sent the music to alto saxophonist Miguel Zenon and pianist Matt Mitchell to contemplate before gathering in the studio to improvise in this overdubbed recording.

Weiss' experience with Zénon and Mitchell in both large and small ensembles certainly allowed him to trust his bandmates' creativity, working with his drum tracks in the studio. He demonstrates this with compositions such as "Recover The Mindset" a solo drum piece that is followed by "M And M" with Zénon and Mitchell affixing their sounds to the track. Same with the solo "Too Many Outs," followed by "Runner-Runner" and "Bribes and Ultimatums" coupled with "Royal Beatings." Weiss, a master musician has studied jazz, classical Indian, West African, and rock drumming. For instance, his ensemble Starebaby is his improvising take on heavy metal and he has also dipped a toe into doom—metal with the band Bloody Panda.

With Zénon and Mitchell, Weiss lays down the pulse and allows his partners to have at it. The music is though not without forethought. "Max Roach" pays homage to its namesakes drum accompaniment to Charlie Parker's "Klactoveedsedstene," with that persistent pulse upon the snare drum's rim. "Ititrefen," or Wayne Shorter's "Nefertiti" spelled backwards, stealthy reconfigures the classic composition. Weiss translates a tabla sound to drums for "Nusrat" for Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Zénon and Mitchell turn Weiss' pulses into a magic nostrum. Of the 20 tracks, six are traditional compositions, written and performed as a trio. "It Is What It Is" features quicksilver and angular sprint with all three musicians charging toward its resolution. The gentle and beautiful "Fathers And Daughters" trades in a folky classical vein and the sad grace heard during "The Children Of Uvalde," for the mass shooting in 2022, shifts into a beautiful lament. Weiss' music, call it an exercise or an experiment, nonetheless is engaging and magnetic music.