1032K: That Which Is Planted

The intrepid and original trio 1032K (the temperature at which the laws of physics no longer apply) is comprised of three versatile and singularly artful musicians who share a common creative vision. Their phenomenal That Which is Planted is a stimulating glimpse at this collaboration recorded live in Buffalo and Rochester, New York. The group radically reinterprets five progressive jazz compositions all the while maintaining the spirit of these provocative tunes.

On bassist Charles Mingus' classic "Ecclusiastics" trombonist Frank Lacy opens with a growling, intelligent unaccompanied improvisation that ushers in the soulful rhythmic vamps of his colleagues. He preaches from the bible book of the same name and then channels that spirituality into his horn with a complex, expansive set of spontaneous phrases. In this he is reminiscent of Ralph Ellison's fictional, trombone wielding minister Alonzo Hickman from the latter's unfinished second novel. The piece evolves with two simultaneous and complementary trends; an inspirational fervor and a raw earthiness.

Saxophonist Albert Ayler's "Ghosts" receives a haunting and somber reading. Lacy stretches out with a pensive yet extroverted solo, filled equally with both exuberance and ire, over bassist Kevin Ray's echoing reverberations and drummer Andrew Drury's thunderous beats. Ray's textured and contemplative pizzicato performance gives way to his intensely melodic bowing that unfurls over shakers, bells and other percussive instruments. Drury's atmospheric and hypnotic sound swirls create a mystical ambience that he fills with the thrilling gallop of his drum set.

Drury pushes the boundaries of his instrument as he creates a harmonically unique and stimulating tapestry of thuds and vibration on drummer Steve McCall's "BK." Ray's imaginative and angular exploration of the melody's essence is stirring and absorbing. Lacy, meanwhile, switches to his modified trumpet or flumpet with its heady, thick and clean tone. His passionate extemporization burns with intense poetry and a rough-hewn lyricism.

The sui generis set of skills that each member of 1032K brings to the ensemble leads to an explosive and exciting fusion of talent. The result is this brilliant and near perfect record, a vivid and imaginative masterpiece, that showcases a band at the height of its powers.