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Paul Dunmall - Matthew Shipp - Joe Morris - Gerald Cleaver: The Bright Awakening
BySigns of how well Dunmall and Shipp mesh arise early on when they lock onto a nagging two-note alternation to electrifying effect, pushing an already energized opening into the stratosphere. That is just the first instance of a shared predilection for tension-building repetition, which also affords a launchpad for further pyrotechnics. Dunmall's fast spiraling lines often pause on such snags, before he crowns his phrases with beseeching cries or guttural honks. For his part, Shipp uses such reiterated patterns to prompt and prod, when he is not propounding his own sparkling runs, or slamming the bass register in thunderous support.
Morris and Cleaver establish a seething foundation which allows multidirectional activity to flourish without rhythmic constraint. Morris avoids riffs, although he too sporadically harks on favored motifs amid his otherwise oblique commentary. Cleaver keeps his chattering pulse spicy, whether with occasional bursts of time or dropping bombs. He is implicated in a couple of notable episodes, first as he elevates even higher an extended plateau attained as Dunmall unfurls another measured exhortation, and then when he invokes an invigorating staccato boogaloo once the tenor falls silent.
Dunmall's final hopeful-sounding valediction, spun out over typically bustling accompaniment, encapsulates the title perfectly and caps an impassioned performance.
Track Listing
The Bright Awakening.
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Album information
Title: The Bright Awakening | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Rogue Art
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Paul Dunmall / Matthew Shipp / Joe Morris / Gerald Cleaver
Album Review
John Sharpe
The Bright Awakening
Rogue Art
Paul Dunmall
Matthew Shipp
Joe Morris
Gerald Cleaver