There are two main reasons that
Henry Threadgill
's second
Zooid
project,
This Brings Us To, Vol. II
sounds like a rather mercurial mirror image of its 2009 predecessor. The first is that both albums were recorded during the same sessions in 2008. The second is the aesthetic involved in its approach to composition versus improvisation. With this band -- guitarist
Liberty Ellman
,
Jose Davila
on trombone and tuba, bassist
Stomu Takeishi
, and drummer
Elliot Humberto Kavee
--
Threadgill
's structural emphasis relies heavily on intervallic investigation rather than harmonic cartography. Unlike his works with the
Very Very Orchestra
, these five tunes, like those on
Vol. I
, are decidedly not dynamic; they are developmental in increments. Basic melodies are hinted at simultaneously by all players in the improvisations around them. From the description, this may read like chaos. Not so. The restraint that
impresses upon his collaborators is akin to that used on his
Novus
recordings, or more maximal examples which he employed during his
Air
years. His rhythm section has a free rein, though they restrain their force;
Kavee
is a syncopation detective, he seeks it out everywhere at once as
Takeishi
's bass pulls back against the crackling breaks and skittering beats to formulate something approaching a groove.
Ellman
's guitar touches on key changes and dynamic shifts, where
Davila
on either -- or sometimes both -- of his instruments lays down a frame for
to enter on with his alto or flute. Most tunes follow this formula, with the band creating a fluid gel that
steps into, most notably on
"Lying Eyes"
and
"Extremely Sweet William,"
though it diverges on the spacious
"Polymorph,"
where all expectations are erased in. With all of the space and non-directness in this approach to ensemble playing, there isn't anything remotely academic about this recording, or its predecessor. Given how foreign its initial construction may seem, it can take a listen or two to fully enter it as a participant, but this music is so lyrical, so full of life, humor, and startling originality, that it's impossible not to get sucked in. The music
creates has the subtlety and lyricism of fine poetry. Given
's reputation as a musical polymath, this shouldn't be a surprise, because, as evidenced here, in his own way he is reinventing jazz from the inside out. ~ Thom Jurek