Pocket Guides
OA2, 2022
9/10
The composer and pianist Ben Morris is nothing if not diverse, and here with his core group of Zosha Warpeha (fiddle, violin), Juan Olivares (clarinet), Dan Montgomery (bass) and Evan Hyde (drums) he welcomes plenty of guests into his inimitable version of jazz.
“Ymir’s Bones” opens the listen with the bright brass and playful percussion interacting with much warmth and adventurousness, where Olivaries’ skilled clarinet is especially inviting, and “Hongdae After Midnight” follows with Morris’ piano acrobatics meshing well with Warpeha’s agile strings.
Halfway through, “ Bubbles In A River” welcomes the voice of John Boggs into the rumbling and uplifting spirit that showcases Hyde’s precise drumming, while “Old Barney” trims the volume and pace back to an intimate and reflective tone that spotlights Morris’ sublime melodica skills.
Closer to the end, “Fellfields” offers a busy and very precisely textured album highlight that benefits much from the strong brass, and “Edvard” exits the listen and ebbs and flows with both tension and grace that’s simultaneously rich and sparse.
An often cinematic affair that pulls in worldly influences from all parts of the globe that Morris has resided, this is an exceptional display of modern jazz.
Travels well with: Ben Markley Big Band With Ari Hoenig- Ari’s Funhouse; Rich Pellegrin- Passage