Borderlands Trio - Asteroidea (2017) [Hi-Res]

Borderlands Trio, the collective effort of bassist Stephan Crump, pianist Kris Davis and drummer Eric McPherson, has luck on its side. Less than a year old, its chemistry is unusually deep. And while I don’t often use the term, it’s also a band that boasts a bit of magic.

The album title Asteroida is the Latin term for starfish – a creature that can regenerate parts of itself whenever need be. That idea resonates with Crump because of the trio’s ability to steadily develop new landscapes, and the Stephan Crump reminds that the word starfish conjures notions of both the ocean and outer space. ‘Gravity, magnetism, constellations, nature. With this band, we’re always expanding and contracting, recontextualizing what’s around us and heading for the instantly inevitable.’

Ultimately Asteroidea is a treatise on immediacy and a deep dive into the spectrum of responses made by any one gesture. Pay close attention. Its grooves are always morphing, its drama boasts moments of whimsy, and its creators are just getting started. …

Stephan Crump, acoustic bass
Kris Davis, piano
Eric McPherson, drums

Recorded December 18, 2016, at The Samurai Hotel, Queens, NY by David Stoller
Mixed by Stephan Crump at The Butler Plaza, Brooklyn, NY
Mastered by Liberty Ellman at 4D Studios, Brooklyn, NY
Produced by Kris Davis, Stephan Crump, Eric McPherson