Herkimer Diamond

Adam O'Farrill
Duration: 07:18
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With his quartet and album, both called ELEPHANT, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill achieves new heights in modern jazz that make you think… and nod approval. The son of master pianist Arturo O'Farrill, this trumpet player has carved out a personal sound that incorporates modern jazz, cinematic themes and indie rock. On ELEPHANT, he updates the approach. First, Adam is now the sole horn, which make his bell tone, splats and blats, and electronic effects each pop. Second, his configuration now includes a chordal component, Yvonne Rogers on piano, prepared piano and synth, who delivers off-kilter harmonic clusters and stuttering patterns that feel compatible with jazz or modern classical compositions. Finally, his bassist Walter Stinson and drummer Russell Holzman create fluidity while locking in hip hop-tight. The title of the song “Herkimer Diamond” refers to quartz crystals that, through natural processes, emerge from the ground exceptionally translucent and multi-faceted – an apt description for a track that begins as a jam and transforms into a shifting soundscape and groove.

Posted by Scott Lichtman.