Amos Gillespie: Unstructured Time for Jazz Septet

The premise of this interesting recording may well be summarized in the old Roman proverb, "Make haste, but slowly." Amos Gillespie is a Chicago-based composer and instrumentalist who has composed a nine-part jazz suite for a septet. In his own words, Unstructured Time is "about capturing childhood focus, creativity and peace through unstructured time." The title is a bit deceptive. While there may be a variety of meters that frame the improvised solos, the recording is in no way formless. Quite the contrary. An attentive listener may well be reminded of the early releases of the Yellowjackets, but with vocals and a much looser, spontaneous feeling. The result is then a distinctive blend. The first track, "Shades of Red" is particularly attractive, with solos by Gillespie, guitarist Casey Nielsen, pianist Paul Bedal, and especially by drummer Gustavo Cortiñas. In two words, it swings.

The vocals by Alexandra Olsavsky fit a little less smoothly. Her singing style is, at least in places, declamatory, and feels more like a narration. In a work of this sort, there is nothing inherently wrong with that. While the songs have a message and a point, it is not easy to consistently situate them within the music itself. That is a particular challenge, and something for Gillespie to work on in future compositions. But Unstructured Time is certainly worth listening to. Overlook the rough spots, because the playing here is nothing if not solid, and an offspring of some well-established fusion roots.

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