Michael Eckroth Group - Human Geography (2024)
BAND/ARTIST: Michael Eckroth Group
- Title: Human Geography
- Year Of Release: 2024
- Label: Trrcollective
- Genre: Jazz
- Quality: mp3 320 kbps / flac lossless (tracks)
- Total Time: 00:37:11
- Total Size: 87 / 244 mb
- WebSite: Album Preview
Tracklist
01. Human Geography
02. Little B's Poem
03. Freedom in Precision
04. Kachina
05. New Bomba
06. In 15
07. Funk Gets It
08. Hilton
You can count some wonderfully heroic performances by members of this group: from the trumpeters, Alex Norris and Matt Hilgenburg, tenor saxophonist Peter Brainin, bassists Raúl Reyes, Edward Pérez and Alex “Apolo” Ayala and percussionists Mauricio Herrera and Carlos Maldonado, all of whom make spirited readings of these fine songs. But the main hero of this recording is Michael Eckroth, the pianist, leader, and composer of nine of ten songs on the recording Human Geography, with good reason.
Mr Eckroth’s pianism is not of the usual beguiling but vacant ‘dolly-bird,’ occasionally heavily rhythmic (montuno-inflected) kind. Rather, he is a feisty, fearless and engaging storyteller, artfully engaging us with his eloquent playing in his music. (In narrative sequences on such songs as Human Geography, and the Bobby Hutcherson classic, Little B’s Poem, which receives a wonderfully singular Eckroth interpretation).
His suavely original works are less ‘traditionally motivic Latin-Jazz’ – that is, with predictable harmonic changes and rhythmic hooks. His harmonic conception skips no details, delivers finely nuanced and unexpected twists and turns, breaking the linearity of melodic lines that are never bemusing because somehow he – and the inspired performers – always ensure that they always seem to land right where they ought to be, to being a musical sub-plot to a logical and emotional resolution.
The Mike Eckroth Group is on fire throughout. The composer adopts a spacious approach to the introduction and outer choruses of New Bomba – a particularly poignant statement of his composer’s intent. And on his proverbial doffing of the hat to the late piano hero of Puerto Rican music, Hilton Ruiz, in the eponymous song (Hilton), he ‘paints’ a fine elegiac portrait of Mr Ruiz, inspiring the rest of the performers to raise the level of their game too.
Two other observations of this fine recording: the first stems from Mr Eckroth’s maturity as a leader. Despite bringing disparate rhythmic associates to interpret his music, he gets exactly what he wants, which is a uniform musicality that comprises his voice and each of their [individual] personalities.
The second is probably more unique to a [so-called] Latin-Jazz recording: Mr Eckroth works hard to bring cohesion to the disparate elements of the music and generates tremendous high-voltage tension and hair-raising orchestral virtuosity in all of the songs. But he slams down the brake pedal on raucous exchanges and volume.
The suggestion to substitute volume with eloquence and, in a musically canny way, to loosen the pace in key rhythmic exchanges is a surprisingly convincing gesture. Add this to the exquisite compositions and consistently brilliant performances across the board, and you have in your CD player one of the finest recordings of 2024 so far.
01. Human Geography
02. Little B's Poem
03. Freedom in Precision
04. Kachina
05. New Bomba
06. In 15
07. Funk Gets It
08. Hilton
You can count some wonderfully heroic performances by members of this group: from the trumpeters, Alex Norris and Matt Hilgenburg, tenor saxophonist Peter Brainin, bassists Raúl Reyes, Edward Pérez and Alex “Apolo” Ayala and percussionists Mauricio Herrera and Carlos Maldonado, all of whom make spirited readings of these fine songs. But the main hero of this recording is Michael Eckroth, the pianist, leader, and composer of nine of ten songs on the recording Human Geography, with good reason.
Mr Eckroth’s pianism is not of the usual beguiling but vacant ‘dolly-bird,’ occasionally heavily rhythmic (montuno-inflected) kind. Rather, he is a feisty, fearless and engaging storyteller, artfully engaging us with his eloquent playing in his music. (In narrative sequences on such songs as Human Geography, and the Bobby Hutcherson classic, Little B’s Poem, which receives a wonderfully singular Eckroth interpretation).
His suavely original works are less ‘traditionally motivic Latin-Jazz’ – that is, with predictable harmonic changes and rhythmic hooks. His harmonic conception skips no details, delivers finely nuanced and unexpected twists and turns, breaking the linearity of melodic lines that are never bemusing because somehow he – and the inspired performers – always ensure that they always seem to land right where they ought to be, to being a musical sub-plot to a logical and emotional resolution.
The Mike Eckroth Group is on fire throughout. The composer adopts a spacious approach to the introduction and outer choruses of New Bomba – a particularly poignant statement of his composer’s intent. And on his proverbial doffing of the hat to the late piano hero of Puerto Rican music, Hilton Ruiz, in the eponymous song (Hilton), he ‘paints’ a fine elegiac portrait of Mr Ruiz, inspiring the rest of the performers to raise the level of their game too.
Two other observations of this fine recording: the first stems from Mr Eckroth’s maturity as a leader. Despite bringing disparate rhythmic associates to interpret his music, he gets exactly what he wants, which is a uniform musicality that comprises his voice and each of their [individual] personalities.
The second is probably more unique to a [so-called] Latin-Jazz recording: Mr Eckroth works hard to bring cohesion to the disparate elements of the music and generates tremendous high-voltage tension and hair-raising orchestral virtuosity in all of the songs. But he slams down the brake pedal on raucous exchanges and volume.
The suggestion to substitute volume with eloquence and, in a musically canny way, to loosen the pace in key rhythmic exchanges is a surprisingly convincing gesture. Add this to the exquisite compositions and consistently brilliant performances across the board, and you have in your CD player one of the finest recordings of 2024 so far.
Year 2024 | Jazz | FLAC / APE | Mp3
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