The 13th volume in
Adrian Younge
and
Ali Shaheed Muhammad
's
Jazz Is Dead
series offers a significant change in the label's aesthetic. Its first wave of releases focused on re-engaging American and Brazilian jazz legends of the 1970s, wedding their pioneering jazz-funk and samba fusions to modern hip-hop and jazz grooves.
The Katalyst Collective
is an Inglewood-based ensemble founded in 2014, composed of younger contemporary producers, composers, and session musicians. Their lone album was last year's phenomenal
Nine Lives
on
Alpha Pup
. Drummer
Greg Paul
leads the group. Other members include pianists/keyboardists
Brian Hargrove
Brandon Cordoba
, saxophonists
David Otis
Corbin Jones
, trumpeter
Emile Martinez
, trombonist
Jonah Levine
, bassist
Marlon Spears
, and percussionist
Ahmad DuBose-Dawson
.
Younge
adds additional instrumental support here and co-produced with
Muhammad
. These seven tracks were written in common and are presented as an uninterrupted suite; each track segues seamlessly into the next.
Opener "The Avenues" is introed by
Paul
's breaking hip-hop beats, buoyed by electric guitars, synth, piano, and a gorgeous alto sax melody from
Otis
. The groove is relaxed yet funky with an Eastern tinge as
DuBose-Dawson
accompanies
with congas and djembes. It slips into the languid "Daybreak," performed by a sextet. The interplay between
and electric and acoustic pianos is deep and intuitive, as
Spears
' rubbery bassline provides
with a funky anchor. "Corridors" is appended by an army of percussionists. Fueled by electric pianos and layers of electronics, its summery groove is articulated by
's syncopated breaks with staggered harmonic conversation between
Levine
atop a host of infectious handclaps. On "Summer Solstice," trombone and trumpet carry the modal melody before delivering individual solos. Acoustic piano and Rhodes frame electric guitars and atmospheric synth. It expands with waves of luxuriant textures, propulsive dynamics, and dramatic force before giving way to buoyant carnival rhythms on the celebratory "Juneteenth." A percussion section accents and highlights
's exploratory pulse as brass and reeds converse by alternately stating the theme, then underscoring it with creative solo snippets.
's clavinet joins the Rhodes piano as
and percussionists make them swing. "Dogon Cypher" is an expansive take on the '70s-style Blaxploitation soundtracks. All four horn players get in on the action as
Cordoba
Hargrove
go head-to-head, juxtaposing electric keyboards and acoustic piano amid crashing snare breaks, swelling monophonic synths, and electric guitars. The set closes on the jam-like "Reflections." It commences with heavily reverbed piano and vibes before
's shuffling hip-hop rhythm becomes its engine. Striated harmonies from brass and reed players offer a vampy pulse atop wah-wah guitars, clavinet, and massive percussion; they are eclipsed, however, by canny solo spots.
Katalyst JID013
is a welcome shift in direction for the label that offers a fresher approach than some of its earlier entries. This set is abundant in collective creativity, musical imagination, and killer instinct. ~ Thom Jurek