My exposure to the works of Anthony Davis is limited to his 80s recordings (e.g., Epistēmē, Hemispheres, Middle Passage). These are all classics in their own right, but Davis went on to compose and record several operas of note focusing on African-American history, including X, Amistad, and The Central Park Five. He is currently a professor of music at UC San Diego.
These accolades dovetail and contrast nicely with Davis’ penchant for free jazz. No stranger to the piano trio format, he is known for his pair of recordings with James Newton and Abdul Wadud. Here, Davis teams with monstrous bassist Kyle Motl (who has put out an impressive amount of high-quality work in the last decade) and percussionist Kjell Nordeson (who has recorded and played with many recognizable names in European and North American free improv). Vertical Motion was recorded in 2018, but this is its first release.
The title track kicks things off with Davis’ slow angular playing over variations on a theme from Motl and disjointed drumming from Nordeson. The threesome balances assertiveness and delicacy, increasing tempo and busyness as they progress. Of particular note are Davis’ blistering yet fragmented runs and Nordeson’s ability to both adapt to and drive the pace with unconventional patterns.
Fictions I has the trio moving in a freer direction, with Motl playing an outsized role with both bowed bass and creative plucking. Davis provides percussive and chaotic structures to accompany serpentine drumming from Nordeson. Fictions II is a complementary piece with a sparsely pastoral opening. The evolves, by way of Davis’ chording, into a densely-packed and spiky passage of creative jazz.
In between is a take on the Davis classic Lady of the Mirrors as well as the aptly-titled Labyrinths. The latter is a lengthy offering penned by Motl that provides an outline for group improvisation as well as a demonstration of his bass skills. Over its 13 minutes, the piece transforms from barely controlled to tumultuous with varying velocities. A dense solo from Motl forms the centroid while Davis and Nordeson explore the edges with start-stop motifs and jarring passages.
If nothing else, Vertical Motion establishes that Davis remains a driving force in classically-influenced free jazz, and has not engaged in late-career coasting. The album bursts with irregular energy and serves to showcase his younger collaborators as much as Davis’s own playing. Very well done.
Avant Music News 