Willy Rodriguez: In The Unknown (I Will Find You)

There are recordings that announce themselves with polish and calculation, and there are those born of necessity. In the Unknown (I Will Find You) by drummer Willy Rodriguez clearly falls into the latter category; a heartfelt reflection on absence, memory, and the unseen threads that connect us beyond time. Recorded at the esteemed Rudy Van Gelder Studio, the album carries the echoes of that room's storied history without relying on it. Rodriguez's choice to omit the bass is not just a novelty. By pairing his drums solely with Leo Genovese on piano and Hammond Rhodes, and Ingrid Laubrock on tenor saxophone, augmented by the spoken words of Allan Harris, he explores a vast harmonic landscape. The absence becomes presence, space becomes substance.

  Across the seven original compositions (six by Rodriguez, one by Genovese), the ensemble maintains a rare balance between structure and surrender. There is a tangible sense of immediacy as if the music were captured in the first wave of inspiration. Yet, nothing feels incomplete. Rodriguez shapes each piece with a composer's ear for form; motifs emerge, fade, and reappear transformed.

The album begins with the title track "In the Unknown (I Will Find You)," which acts as the emotional starting point. The musical arrangement is driven by rolling toms and cymbal washes that never overshadow the thematic core. Rodriguez's touch is steady yet flexible, allowing Genovese space to soar over the keyboard, while Laubrock weaves a tenor line that alternates between passionate lyricism and sharp abstraction. "The Perplexity of Eternity" introduces Allan Harris's spoken meditation as a kind of philosophical puzzle. His voice floats over the ensemble, less forceful than reflective, reinforcing the music's feeling of suspended time. Rodriguez shapes this paradox with delicate dynamic shading as the music  moves between tension and quiet introspection.

"Curie's Notes" features Laubrock at the forefront. Her tone is bold, dry, and incisive, unfolding over a wall of shifting electronic sound.  The absence of a bass heightens every intervallic leap and microtonal inflection.

"A Room Full of Confusion," Rodriguez's acknowledged personal highlight, carries deep emotional significance. A haunting melody emerges through sparse, almost fragile phrases. Genovese's voicings enrich the harmonic texture, while Laubrock responds with long, breath-like lines that appear to seek stability. The piece concludes not with triumph but with acceptance.

The only non-Rodriguez piece is Genovese's "(The Route)," which features a subtly different structure. Laubrock's tenor enters with sinewy, probing lines that weave through the harmonic angles, sometimes shadowing the piano's contour and other times crossing it. Genovese's angular piano motifs interlock with rhythmic displacements, creating a percussive attack.

The closing "Follow the Light," featuring Genovese on Hammond Rhodés, feels like a blessing. Over a rich, humming bass line, he explores luminous harmonies that shimmer with restrained radiance. Thus, the journey concludes not with answers but with faith in connection and jazz's enduring capacity for spiritual exploration.