James Emery: Inside Outlier

Emerging in the 1970s, renowned guitarist James Emery quickly became a name to drop in the jazz scene, synonymous with that 'new jazz smell' of innovation. A founding member of the String Trio of New York, his career has been an outstanding potluck of collaborations, bringing to the table dishes seasoned with the genius of Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, and Roscoe Mitchell. His style? Imagine if Bach had an affair with bebop and raised their lovechild on a strict diet of avant-garde jazz, sprinkled with a generous helping of classical technique for seasoning.

Emery's acoustic musings gently remind us of the instrument's more soulful roots, whispering sweet nothings about its humble beginnings. "Inside Outlier"—a title that smirks at convention, winks at the avant-garde, and tips its hat to the traditions it cheekily deviates from—is a blend of solos and duos with bassist Cyrus Campbell that flaunts dexterity and musical intuition as if it were strolling down the runway.

With his 9th album as a leader, Emery has donned the cap of a musical alchemist. His fingers waltz across the fretboard, spinning straw into sonic gold. The guitar under his command becomes less an instrument and more a philosopher's stone, crafting sound waves that resonate not just with the ear, but with the soul. Emery's secret sauce? A delightful mix of precision and spontaneity, as though he's gently cajoling the strings into spilling their deepest, darkest secrets.

It is in the duos that Emery thoroughly cranks up the heat in his musical kitchen, experimenting with the ingredients of collaboration to serve up a dazzling genre-blending feast. In these moments, the album morphs into a symphony of conversations, each musician taking turns to lead and follow, crafting a harmonious dialogue that stretches the very fabric of genre and expectation.

Emery strums his tales on an acoustic archtop guitar, perfectly coordinated with Campbell on several tracks. The "Inside" portion of the album's name hints at his playful spins on tunes by venerable composers like Richard Rodgers, Billy Strayhorn, and jazz legends John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. Meanwhile, the "Outlier" bit is a nod to his improv-based compositions. From the get-go with the title track "Inside Outlier," Emery invites us on a joyride of improvisational depth, navigating through quicksilver narratives with Campbell, displaying a mastery that makes it look like child's play.

His interpretation of Parker's "Meandering" unfolds at a pace that is almost leisurely, if not for the tender yet sprightly execution of the main theme, peppered with quick bop phrasings. Yet, it is Emery's "Percussive Guitar 1" that shows off a brief but multifaceted display of improvisation where he's tapping, scraping, and twirling like a dancer on the guitar's body and strings. And with Monk's "Crepuscule with Nellie," he strolls with a slow-walking groove, only to leap into spirited improvisations, turning the theme on its head. Moreover, Emery's riffs and single-note lines are performed with nearly light speed.

"Inside Outlier" toys with the edges of jazz, seducing the avant-garde without ever fully falling into its arms, maintaining control over the instrument that whispers of decades spent in the woodshed and winks at those daring enough to wander off the beaten path. This album is a bold declaration from a musician who's spent a lifetime honing his craft, not just a celebration of the guitar's possibilities but a showcase of Emery's sheer musical genius. So, if you're on the hunt for an album that is a perfect match for a glass of fine wine and an evening steeped in contemplation, your search ends here. But be forewarned: you might emerge on the other side a tad more of an outlier than you bargained for.