Patricia Brennan: Of the Near and Far

Peerless, vibe-savvy vibraphonist Patricia Brennan minces no fools from the get go, launching Of The Near And Far with the kick-ass lead single (singles? They still make singles? In this day? In this age?) "Antilla." A new jazz standard by any stretch of the imagination, "Antilla" is a sleek, hypnotic beauty that gears you into the groove and holds you there. It is the first yin to the yang of Of The Near And Far.

On the heels of 2024's slyly crafted, unanimously acclaimed Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic Records), Of The Near And Far, forges flame-torch pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, guitarist Miles Okazaki, bassist Kim Cass and drummer John Hollenbeck to form the volcanic core called upon to curry Brennan's whims. When accompanied by violinists Modney and Pala Garcia, violist Kyle Armbrust, cellist Michael Nicolas and electronic musician Arktureye, the sweeping "Aquarius"—Brennan and Okazaki ringing as a single chord—and the taut "Andromeda," a willfully sky-diving dervish that defies all previous modes of possibility.

Captivated by the night sky from an early age, Brennan, an amateur astrologer, created the music for Of The Near And Far by superimposing the circle of fifths over several constellations, which sounds like a brain-twisting headache. Still, this group interprets the opera of galaxies with headstrong street smarts bred in New York studios, lofts and clubs. From the Debussy-like broad strokes and shifting rhythms of "Lyra"; the rousing, titular fugue-ness of "Aquilla" and the foreboding, but abstractly alluring and reassuring "When You Stare Into the Abyss," Brennan and company bend the horizon effortlessly for a better view of the stars.

To pick, choose and hyperbolize wildly on one or any individual performance that romps from the wide screen Of The Near And Far is a crackpot's mission. This high-octane tentet—the feisty Courvoisier, an amped Okazaki, an unwavering Cass, the relentless Modney and Garcia—all coalesce around Brennan's celestial patterns and pitch collections to create big clouds of vibrancy and perhaps, in the whirlwind process, a whole new pinnacle.