Mesmerism

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In the world of jazz compositions, few stand as tall today in the field of original music as Newark, New Jersey's Tyshawn Sorey. He's a distinguished educator, virtuoso drummer and restless creative who's won a MacArthur "genius" award, written commissions for Chicago's Lyric Opera and Carnegie Hall among others, and now recorded his ninth albums as a leader. But even a genius deserves to have a little fun once in a while, and Sorey has decided to pitch a curveball and record an elegant album of music written by others. Because of his crisp drumming and artful arrangements, Mesmerism is so much more than just a "covers" album; these are almost uniformly gorgeous, interpretatively muscular re-imaginings of standards. "Detour Ahead," while written by Herb Ellis, Lou Carter and John Frigo as The Soft Winds, is most closely associated with Bill Evans, whose ghost audibly hangs over this version that's highlighted by Sorey's brushwork. While all the arrangements achieve an easy, natural feel despite their exploratoryness, Sorey's hushed, spidery interpretation of the late Paul Motian's "From Time to Time" is masterful in its quiet deliberation. As it has been on more than a few jazz albums, the Joseph Kosma/Johnny Mercer number "Autumn Leaves" is at the center of Mesmerism. Steering clear of the syrupy sentiment that weighs down most versions, pianist Aaron Diehl ranges up and down the keyboard dancing around the melody with a light touch in odd tempos and unexpected voicings. Bassist Matt Brewer's solo is equally ingenious. Hitting one of his obvious sweet spots, Diehl leans into the slow swing of Duke Ellington's "REM Blues" with bluesy gusto. Perhaps the most obvious display of Sorey's genius on Mesmerism is his intuition in knowing that this combination of players would, without rehearsal, instinctively mesh and engage in impressive music making. In Brewer and particularly Diehl, Sorey has two like-minded collaborators with the talent and drive to realize his spectacular and often unexpected instrumentation. The mind meld among the trio as they support and contribute to each other's ideas and flow is what makes this session so powerful. Recorded by Aaron Nevezie at the increasingly distinguished Bunker Studios in Brooklyn, NY, Mesmerism, which is only streaming on select high resolution-oriented platforms, has resonant ringing sonics. The level of detail captured is heroic; the separation between the three acoustic instruments is nearly perfect. From one of jazz's young leading lights, this is an album of standards to cherish.  © Robert Baird/Qobuz