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Jonathan Finlayson: 3 Times Round
By3 Times Round follows Moving Still (Pi Recordings, 2016) and Moment And The Message (Pi Recordings, 2013) both recorded with his ensemble Sicilian Defense. The lineup has shifted from trumpet/guitar/piano/bass/drums to Finlayson plus two saxophonists, Steve Lehman and Brian Settles, pianist Matt Mitchell, bassist John Hébert, and drummer Craig Weinrib. The connections between these artists can be threaded through Coleman, Mary Halvorson, Tomas Fujiwara, Henry Threadgill, and Lehman's ensembles. They form a kind of philosophers' club, navigating Finlayson's compositions, while having an intramural discourse.
Take a composition like "The Moon Is New," which opens with Mitchell both sprinkling left hand notes and thumping some right before it gives way to Hébert's bowed bass until the business end announces itself. Finlayson, plus the saxophones, proceed to construct a braided sound-work with brief solos and even a full stop. Like collaborations with both Coleman and Lehman, the trumpeter loves precision but doesn't eschew the precarious. His tone on "Refined Strut" borrows from chamber music and maybe also takes us on a little cinematic journey. Finlayson loves to create Houdini-like situations with unique harmonies and time signatures for his ensemble to negotiate. The listener is given the desirable task of musical scholarship, in other words, a great listening experience.
Track Listing
Feints; Grass; A Stone, a Pond, a Thought; The Moon is New; Refined Strut; Rope From the Sky; Tap-Tap.
Personnel
Jonathan Finlayson
trumpetJonathan Finlayson: trumpet; Steve Lehman: Grass; Brian Settles: tenor saxophone; Matt Mitchell: piano; John Hébert: bass; Craig Weinrib: drums.
Album information
Title: 3 Times Round | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Pi Recordings
Comments
About Jonathan Finlayson
Instrument: Trumpet
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