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John Escreet: Seismic Shift
ByEscreet is known for his wide-ranging interests in creative music. He has recorded in both the acoustic and electric realms, performing on instruments including the harpsichord, synthesizers, Fender Rhodes piano, and with adventurous musicians such as Evan Parker, Wayne Krantz, and Antonio Sanchez. Maybe the finest testimonial to his prowess are the musicians who have accompanied his project. They have included the bassists John Hébert, Matt Brewer, Eivind Opsvik and drummers Tyshawn Sorey, Eric Harland, Nasheet Waits, Jim Black, and Marcus Gilmore.
With Seismic Shift, add to that esteemed list bassist Eric Revis and drummer Damion Reid, whom Escreet assembled in Los Angeles during the pandemic. Maybe it was the oppressiveness of isolation and the exhilaration of finally performing together that makes this session sound as if it were a pressure release; "Study No. 1" sprints from the gate with a torrent of sound, Escreet plying a two-handed attack part Cecil Taylor and part Alexander von Schlippenbach. The pianist's pugnacity is equaled by both Reid's drumming and Revis' pulse. These musicians are like three wrestlers, entangled and tangling by design. Escreet penned "RD" (Revis/Damion) for this bandmates. It progresses from a repeated pattern into an open structure with cascades of notes and energy detonations. Escreet plays off the agilities of this trio with their turn-on-a-dime skills. They can sprint through a composition like "Digital Tulips" with its changing time patterns, or gently stroke the face of the one cover piece here, Stanley Cowell's "Equipoise." Escreet, Revis, and Reid deliver two fully improvised pieces "Outward And Upward" and "Quick Reset." Both tracks maintain an internal logic consistent with Escreet's composed music. In other words, these three musicians are one tight working team and that makes for a stellar recording.
Track Listing
Study No. 1; Equipoise; Outward and Upward; RD; Perpetual Love; Digital Tulips; Seismic Shift; Quick Reset; The Water Is Tasting Worse.
Personnel
Album information
Title: Seismic Shift | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Whirlwind Recordings
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John Escreet
Album Review
Mark Corroto
Fully Altered Media
Seismic Shift
Whirlwind Recordings
evan parker
Wayne Krantz
Antonio Sanchez
John Hebert
Matt Brewer
Eivinf Opsvik
Tyshawn Sorey
Eric Harland
Nasheet Waits
Jim Black
Marcus Gilmore
Eric Revis
Damion Reid
Cecil Taylor
Alexander von Schlippenbach
Stanley Cowell