Stinger
Irritable Mystic, 2025
8/10
Keefe Jackson. Jakob Heinemann and Adam Shead bring their inimitable talents to these 8 avant-garde jazz ideas that are as unpredictable as they are exciting.
Jackson’s radiant tenor sax opens the mesmerizing climate of “Regent”, where Heinemann’s lively double bass won’t go unnoticed, and the title track follows with Shead’s strategic and swift drums complementing the animated wind.
“She” and “Easy” land in the middle. The former is intimate initially, before the bass acrobatics and squealing sax enter, while the latter carries an infectious energy via the frisky rhythm section and glowing sax.
Residing close to the end, “Oles Anders” emits plenty of free jazz exploration that’s improvised with much creativity, and “God Of The Fickle” exits with the trio each showcasing their respective talents with strong attention to tonality and hypnotic gestures.
A Chicago outfit with a penchant for experimental jazz. each tune here is as memorable as the one before it, and let’s up there’s more coming soon.
Travels well with: Microplastique- Blare Blow Bloom!; Stein/Smith/Shead- Volumes & Surfaces