Tyshawn Sorey – Mesmerism (2022) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

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Tyshawn Sorey – Mesmerism (2022) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

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Multi-awarded drummer and composer Tyshawn Sorey has several elements in his musical personality that work in his favor. Firstly, he always knows where he wants to go regardless of the context he’s playing; secondly, he’s willing to take risks when making music. With Mesmerism, he pays tribute to some of his influences and dabbles in a couple of inventive reworkings of classics from the Great American Songbook.

The superb playing of the new trio members - Matt Brewer and Aaron Diehl on bass and piano, respectively - substantiates the drummer’s clear success in this effort, which transitions from avant-garde ventures based on complex notated music to a more relaxed setting without losing any creativity.

The chosen repertoire is tackled with a supreme elegance, lovely detail, as well as disarming originality. It’s a colossally tuneful program that kicks off with Horace Silver’s “Enchantment”, in which the trio shares a natural simpatico. The enveloping sound of Diehl is so enriching, interlacing exquisite clusters of chords with single-note melodies. His pulsing chromaticism gains further expression against Brewer’s bass pedal, which eventually expands. The tempered yet crisp drumming and cymbal luster of Sorey work as a fulcrum between the two other men. Together, they create a lush atmosphere of excitement and reverie.

Over the course of the album, the trio celebrates two other pianists: Muhal Richard Abrams would certainly be proud of this version of “Two Over One”, which was originally presented in his 1976 duo album Sighsong, with bassist Malachi Favors. It’s a catchy waltz overflowing with ideas in an organic balance between the earthly and the spiritual. One can hear something of Bill Evans in it, as cascading waves and occasional piano tremolos find an excellent supportive net on bass and drums. The other is Duke Ellington, whose in-the-pocket “REM Blues” closes the album on a high note.

Sorey plunges into abstraction and stillness with a take on drummer Paul Motian’s “From Time to Time”, whereas the jazz standards “Detour Ahead” and “Autumn Leaves” are crafted with irresistible lyricism and no shortage of surprises. The former is 14+ minutes long and includes a thoughtful bass solo over smooth brushwork in addition to an extended piano statement that gets bluesier and mellower with the time; the latter, extraordinarily transfigured but still recognizable, announces the trio’s faultless command of tempo and texture while exuding a comfortable warmth throughout.

With no need for flash or gratuitous gestures, this is music made with a striking degree of intelligence. Tradition gives a newfound perspective to Sorey’s artistic genius.