Jakob Bro, Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Thomas Morgan, Andrew Cyrille: Taking Turns

Despite being recorded a decade ago, this album from Danish guitarist Jakob Bro sounds as fresh and contemporary as any 2024 release. Taking Turns was originally recorded in New York in 2014; the album release was delayed by ECM Records, who initially preferred to highlight Bro's trio work. The postponement proves fortuitous, as Bro's melodic compositions create expansive soundscapes that invite his all-star sextet to explore and improvise around his delicately rendered musical themes.

Bro composed the seven tracks, but his initial ideas are transformed through sensitive improvisations from the sextet. A key collaborator is saxophonist Lee Konitz, who died six years later in 2020. He maintained a distinctive style developed through bebop, avant-garde and his participation in Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool sessions (Capitol Records, 1957). Konitz's soloing is superb, perfectly suited to the session's collaborative spirit. Guitarist Bill Frisell, another versatile jazz icon who significantly influenced Bro, joins the ensemble. Their similar harmonic sensibilities and intricate pedal work often meld seamlessly, creating richly layered musical landscapes.

The opening track, "Black Is All Colors At Once," sets the scene and unfolds from a slow-moving theme through intricate improvisations. Konitz's soprano saxophone weaves wonderful plaintive lines around shimmering guitars. While lacking a defined rhythmic structure, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Andrew Cyrille are masters at adding atmospheric nuances that illuminate the melody. "Haiti" introduces more structure, with the sextet building a gently entwining and immersive groove around a four-note motif. Pianist Jason Moran demonstrates his collaborative approach, judiciously choosing moments to embellish or support.

Bro's compositions provide expanses of space, but there is no rush to fill the void. The musicians maintain their individual identities but are content to remain in the background, providing sensitive support, only occasionally coming forward when there is a moment to add balance or release to the flow. Absent are long solos or displays of ego; collective discovery takes precedence. This is shown in "Pearl River." Despite being named after a dry goods emporium in New York, the track is till suggestive of a waterway via a serpentine meander through softly chiming guitars entwining with alto sax, ultimately evolving into a plunging chord pattern.

The album concludes with the lilting twin electric guitar melody of "Mar Del Plata." Though Konitz sits out this track, the ensemble fills his absence with remarkable finesse. Piano, bass and drums weave intricately around the tune. All the sextet excel on this recording and it is a joy to hear Konitz's artistry once more, making this a shimmering mosaic of melodic lines, soft accents, time changes and delicate atmospherics, all played with authority and grace.

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