Operator
Pet Mantis, 2023
9/10
The guitarist, improviser and composer Avi Granite has been quite prolific lately, and these 8 new jazz tracks come with the talents of Jim Lewis, Peter Lutek, Tom Richards, Neal Davis and Ted Warren.
“Crushing Beans” opens the listen with Granite’s warm, radiant guitar lines amid the bright brass and Warren’s agile drumming that takes nods to hip-hop, and “Voracious” follows with Lewis’ soulful trumpet and Richards’ playful trombone prowess making for a very distinct climate.
Halfway through, the funky “Ubiquitous Miles” benefits much from Davis’ very animated bass playing, as the horns and guitar mesh with a lively energy, while “The Long Tomorrow” is a more dense, intense and hazy display of the superb talent present.
“Misanthropic Vindaloo” and “Many Bowls” exit the listen, where the former is a thick, rock influenced album highlight, and the latter carries a bit of intimacy thanks to the well timed brass, soft guitar and bouts of drums.
A listen that surrounds perseverance, connectivity, communication and bringing people to together, this is a record that’s universally enjoyable and extremely diverse, memorable and accomplished.
Travels well with: William Carn- Choices; Matt Greenwood- Atlas