For These Streets
Out Of Your Head, 2025
9/10
The New York artist Adam O’Farrill is joined by Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, David Leon, Kevin Sun, Kalun Leung, Tyrone Allen II, and Tomas Fujiwara for these iconoclastic jazz tunes that started as a dream.
The cautious spirit of “Swimmers” begins with Allen’s soft bass plucking and Halvorson’s gentle guitar alongside O’Farrill’s bouts of brass, and “Nocturno, 1932” follows with rich sax and Fujiwara’s scrappy drumming that helps cultivate cinematic qualities.
“Speeding Blots Of Ink” arrives in the middle and mesmerizes us with its meticulous guitar, playful bass and strong wind interaction, while “Streets” carries a dreamy backdrop amid O’Farrill’s animated trumpet.
“Rose” and “Late June” exit the listen. The former builds into a busy and textured haze of free jazz exploration, and the latter benefits from Brennan’s charming vibes amid the elegant sax.
A body of work that has its roots literature, O’Farrill’s vision is one of emotion, rhythm and melodicism, where avant-garde, chamber and improv enter his atypical version of jazz.
Travels well with: Nick Dunston- Colla Voce; Alfredo Colón- Blood Burden