Jason Kao Hwang / Human Rites Trio: Second Life

Violinist and composer Jason Kao Hwang has spent much of his career moving between jazz, contemporary composition, and free improvisation, often blurring the distinctions between them. His Human Rites Trio with bassist Ken Filiano and drummer/percussionist Andrew Drury first recorded together on Human Rites Trio (True Sound Recordings, 2020), though the three have worked together in other settings over the years. Their follow-up, Second Life, contains four extended Hwang compositions that leave plenty of room for improvisation while still giving the music enough shape to keep it from drifting.

"Galaxies Twist Under Before It" gets things moving quickly. Filiano establishes a strong bass presence, Drury keeps the pulse unsettled, and Hwang works above them with biting violin lines that can turn from lyrical to abrasive in a matter of seconds. The trio can sound dense and almost confrontational at one moment, then suddenly pull back and leave a surprising amount of space. Those shifts give the piece much of its tension.

"What to Keep, What to Let Go" moves into darker territory. Hwang sounds more reflective here, while Filiano's bass and bowed lines add another layer of weight underneath. Drury's percussion becomes especially important. Bells, gongs, bowls, and other metallic sounds come and go, sometimes sitting in the background and sometimes changing the direction of the performance entirely. The piece gradually gathers force, but the trio never sounds as if it is simply building toward a predictable climax.

The title track stretches beyond thirteen minutes and gives the musicians even more room to work. Hwang and Filiano move in and out of close dialogue while Drury surrounds them with scattered accents and shifting rhythmic ideas. Much of the appeal comes from how naturally the three react to one another. Even when the music becomes abstract, there is still a sense that somebody is listening and answering.

"Ricochet" closes the album with some of its most aggressive playing. Hwang digs into sharper phrases, Filiano pushes harder from below, and Drury keeps breaking up the rhythmic flow. There are hints of funk in places, but they never settle long enough to become comfortable.

The playing throughout Second Life is superb, but technical skill is only part of the story. Hwang, Filiano, and Drury seem to understand where the others are going almost before they get there. The compositions give them a framework, but the music comes alive in the way they stretch, interrupt, and reshape it in real time. The result is intense, unpredictable, and often fascinating, with enough structure underneath the freedom to make the improvisation feel purposeful rather than random.