Neal Miner: Invisibility

Bassist Neal Miner has always been a strong supporter of jazz's lyrical tradition, and Invisibilility finds him in top form, not only as an instrumentalist but also as a composer deeply rooted in the idiom's classic origins. Joined by tenor saxophonist Chris Byars and drummer Jason Tiemann, Miner creates a trio sound that is conversational, closely connected and impressively complete. This is not a leader-and-sidemen session; rather, it is a collective where each musician shares equal responsibility for texture, pulse and melodic creativity.

All of the compositions are Miner's, yet they are filled with the inspiration of his influences: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver and Tommy Flanagan among them, as well as a nod to his heroes Ray Brown, Red Mitchell, Paul Chambers, which is evident in his unerring sense of swing and line. Miner's affection for the contrafact is especially apparent throughout the session, as many tunes take their harmonic underpinnings from the Great American Songbook, such as "There's No You," "Indian Summer," "Sweet and Lovely," "Lullaby of the Leaves" and "The Best Thing for You Is Me."

The title track "Invisibility" opens the set, and it is a contrafact based on the harmony of "There's No You." It is buoyed by Miner's bass line, which anchors the harmony and engages in a conversation with Byars, as Tiemann punctuates the pulse with propulsive accents. As the number closes out, each player exchanges eights in a melodic conversation. "Blues for Scout" is an up-tempo romp where each of the players stretches out with solos that elaborate on what the structure of the number has to say. Each musician responds to the other's ideas, creating a dialogue that flows organically. "Blue View" has a shimmering, cool-toned melody as Byars shapes lyrical lines with Miner providing a gentle harmonic underpinning. Tiemann's accentuating dynamics give the piece a sense of space and texture.

"Locke Bop" is an energetic hard-bop tune where Miner's agile lines and Byars' playing build melodic fragments over Tiemann's lively brushes to create a tight-knit, cohesive style. "The Evening Sound" adopts a softer palette, with delicate interludes that allow each instrument to tell part of the story in its own way. Tiemann helps shape the mood through dynamic nuance. Closing with "On the High Line" is filled with optimism as Miner and Byars drive the melody in tandem, while Tiemann shapes the contours and lifts the narrative both with subtle punctuations and probing solos.

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