John Blum - Deep Space (2024)

While referred to as the John Blum Quartet featuring Marshall Allen, this lineup is instead a trio with Allen as its fourth member. Allen plays alto sax and EVI (an analog wind instrument synthesizer). The rest of the group is John Blum on piano, Elliot Levin on tenor sax and flute, and Chad Taylor on drums.

Deep Space is ostensibly free jazz, though played with a certain amount of classically inflected structure. To that end, Blum’s playing could be put roughly in the same bucket as that of Matthew Shipp or Cecil Taylor. His approach is percussive, producing dense staccato clusters of notes. Taylor’s drumming is a perfect complement, staying busy and rarely falling back on anything less than a jagged accompaniment.

Levin and Allen trade short solos and motifs, with space separating their statements. These vary from melodic to angular. Between Levin’s flute and Allen’s cosmic EVI tones, the album’s feel stays true to its name with bloops and effects.

While recorded two years ago, this album’s release coincides with Allen’s 100th birthday. It serves to celebrate that milestone as well as his 65+ years of cosmic jazz, but also stands on its own as an excellent modern creative jazz offering.

John Blum (piano), Marshall Allen (alto saxophone, EVI), Elliot Levin (tenor saxophone, flute), Chad Taylor (drums)