Feathers Of Ma’at
TRRcollective, 2023
8/10
The pianist and composer Ben Miller brings along Taru Alexander and Joseph Lepore for these 9 originals that come from a lot of experience playing and writing jazz.
The adventurous and fluid keys of “Wise Path” starts the listen, where Alexander’s lively drums keep up with Miller’s finger acrobatics, and “Azoth” follows with the dynamic rhythm section matching the melodic sensibilities of the keys.
“Seahorse Valley” and “Zep Tepi” land in the middle, as the former benefits much from Lepore’s meticulous bass playing via the energetic climate, while the latter comes with no lack of rhythm and culture thanks to the trio’s strong chemistry.
Close to the end, “Rise, Tide, Rise” is full of charming progressions that are rich and very modern, and “Unjaded Hero” exits the listen with a very full appeal thanks to the plucked bass, crisp drums and firm piano.
An excellent debut, Miller’s time in outfits like Orbiting Human Circus Quartet, Jesse Collins Quartet, Taru Alexander Quartet and Justice Freeman Quintet, to name a few, helps him mesh post-bop, contemporary jazz and funky, worldly bouts that will be forever timeless.
Travels well with: Joel Goodman- An Exquisite Moment; Andrew Danforth- Homegrown