Steven Bernstein: ResoNation Trio/Ultra Resonance

Steven Bernstein has never been a musician content to remain in one room for long. The co-founder of Sexmob and architect of the Millennial Territory Orchestra has spent three decades proving that the trumpet is capable of almost anything, including, it seems, taking a vacation from the slide. ResoNation Trio marks a rare occasion where Bernstein sets aside his signature slide trumpet and performs exclusively on the valve instrument, reminding listeners that he had a first language before inventing a second.

The trio format is the first revealing move. Chordless and unadorned, the group places Bernstein alongside bassist Scott Colley and drummer Nasheet Waits, two musicians for whom openness is less a stylistic experiment than a natural habitat. "Turf" establishes the album's direction early. Colley's bass enters first, deliberate and grounded, laying the foundation before Bernstein responds with probing lines instead of bold declarations. Waits contributes commentary rather than simple timekeeping, using brushes to punctuate ideas as they unfold. "Pettiford" develops a stronger forward momentum before the trio collectively loosens its grip. "Woodstock" carries a pastoral melancholy, while "Mammoth" presses ahead with Waits providing persistent propulsion. The lone non-original, the walking blues standard "Sitting on Top of the World," arrives near the album's conclusion with the ease of an old friend settling into a favorite chair.

Throughout, Bernstein's trumpet and flugelhorn remain free of electronics, mutes, or studio manipulation. What listeners hear is precisely what was played. That transparency places every musical idea under the microscope, and they consistently withstand the scrutiny.

Scotty Hard arrives with a sledgehammer and a synthesizer. Ultra Resonance takes the ResoNation Trio session recordings as raw material and reshapes them into an entirely different creation, complete with new titles, architecture, and atmosphere. Hard's arsenal, including Roland 606, Moog Voyager, Hammond organ, Akai MPC 2500, lap steel, Serato sampler, and more, is employed with compositional purpose rather than studio excess. Bernstein contributes EVI alongside his brass, while percussionist Jeremy Gustin adds further rhythmic heft. The element-inspired tracks, including "Argon," "Rubidium," "Radon," "Niobium," and others, each develop distinct personalities. "Rubidium" and "Titano" carry the greatest rhythmic weight, whereas "Radon" feels almost translucent by comparison.

The relationship between these companion recordings rests in their shared point of origin rather than any direct comparison. ResoNation Trio captures trumpet, bass, and drums interacting in real time within a single room. Ultra Resonance transforms that same source material into a separate artistic statement with its own internal logic and destination.