Cameron Graves: Live From the Seven Spheres

Since bursting on to the scene full-birthed as part of the West Coast Get Down collective spotlighted on Kamasi Washington's truly epic debut, The Epic (Brainfeeder, 2015), fire-balling pianist Cameron Graves, even when entertaining his inner Chopin, comes at the listener with a force and fury that blows the doors in, windows out, senses to smithereens.

Live From the Seven Spheres continues the onslaught Graves ignited on his flame-throwing debut, Planetary Prince (Mack Avenue, 2017) and the equally slamming follow-up, Seven (Mack Avenue, 2021). What Graves considers the third of the trilogy, Live From the Seven Spheres, presents the music from those two albums especially live and definitely without quarter. What the composer calls thrash jazz, a frenzied, untethered mash up of speed metal, fusion, and Afro/Cuban/Hindu polyrhythms. Whatever it is, it's an exhilarating rush from beginning to end.

Exerting full muscle alongside Graves, long-standing guitarist Colin Cook, bassistMax Gerl, and the tenacious and unremitting pugilism of drummer Mike Mitchell willfully spark the chain reactions heard here. Rousing, retro, and jam packed with run-away tempos and razor sharp virtuosity. Think Motorhead vs.Weather Report. Or maybe Elton John's mad keyboard runs from 1975's "Funeral For a Friend" for Graves' feverish runs on the blistering "The End of Corporatism." Boys being boys, this is a boisterous celebration of youth, virility, and talent. Cook, as Graves' foil, cuts from one riff and counter theme with exacting, laser focus. So too Gerl, who brings the funk, the fever, and the fervor to all the firebrands here. Take your pick: "Sacred Spheres," "Planetary Prince," "Sons of Creation," "Mansion Worlds." With its fistful of brash, declarative, fast-acting fusion, Live From the Seven Spheres may attract more critics than acolytes, but it drop-dead sure delivers a jolt.

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