The long-running collaboration of NY drummer Whit Dickey and alto saxophonist Rob Brown is joined by relative newcomer, bassist Brad Lopez, in this new trio performing original Whit Dickey compositions that fuel extraordinary collective improvisation, a hard-blowing band that unleashes their controlled creativity in a cycle of six pieces reflecting the power of the universe.
Label: Tao Forms Catalog ID: TAO 002CD Squidco Product Code: 29126
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 2020 Country: USA Packaging: Digipack Recorded at Park West Studios, in Brooklyn, New York, on November 18th, 2019, by Jim Clouse.
"Free improvisation is as much an act of discovery as of creation. On their breathtaking debut the new Whit Dickey Trio shines their collective illumination into the heretofore unexplored darkness between them. The album teams the drummer with one of his most long-standing collaborators in saxophonist Rob Brown & for the first time with the young firebrand bassist Brandon Lopez, in what is certainly hoped will be an ongoing communion.
The light and the dark, intimate friends and fresh relations - these are a few of the dualities embodied by the new recording label, Tao Forms. This second release by the label continues the creative renaissance which drummer Whit Dickey embarked on with his stunning 2019 double-album by the Tao Quartets: Peace Planet -&- Box of Light, a Yin and Yang pairing of two distinct ensembles.
Expanding Light is an exercise in going full-bore Yang. Dickey described the experience of recording with his new trio as "incessantly and mightily grabbing the dragon by the tail, and not caring." In other words, losing oneself to intangible inspiration, wherever it may lead. The result maintains a visceral ferocity even at its most abstract moments, influenced as much by Nirvana at their finest as by the holistic experimentation of Dickey's mentor, Professor Milford Graves. Of course, the Yin - the Expanding Light of the title - inevitably follows in the trio's wake...
Dickey & Brown have worked together for over 30 years, forging an instinctual chemistry while still managing to surprise one another with a mutual penchant for risk-taking. Though Lopez was born a year before Dickey and Brown began playing together, he proved an ideal partner for the drummer in the low end of the Yang. Lopez has become a force on numerous NYC scenes in recent years, his relentless fervor and formidable power have led to collaborations in the realms of classical, jazz and experimental music with the likes of John Zorn, Tyshawn Sorey, Chris Potter, and the New York Philharmonic under Jaap van Zweden."-Tao Forms
"A new chapter of sorts has opened up in the long career of avant-jazz drummer Whit Dickey. In the prior month, he launched a new record label Tao Forms with the first release coming from his longtime former bandleader Matthew Shipp. The second entry in the Tao Forms discography is coming from Dickey himself when he releases Expanding Light on June 12, 2020.
The other new beginning for Dickey is his new trio that has Rob Brown from his Tao Quartet on alto sax and a relatively fresh face on bass, Brandon Lopez. Expanding Light is a spiritual title, fittingly coming from a spiritual drummer. Dickey's drumming is technically advanced but what sets him apart from most of his peers is that it also ranks high on the metaphysical scale, too.
With only a sax and bass at Dickey's side, Expanding Light opens the window further on the hidden details in his drumming, even when the leader is not explicitly out front. "The Outer Edge" generates excitement first by Dickey soloing behind Brown and then Lopez entering the fray introducing 4/4 time that fails to sway the other two, setting up creative conflict. When a Dickey spotlight ends, Lopez returns with a slower tempo and this time the others follow along, even when he hastens toward the ending.
Lopez is quickly establishing as a bassist to pay attention to; he steps out front for "Desert Flower," spinning a bass narrative in commanding fashion with as Dickey lays down some of the most muscular brushes you're likely to hear. When they are finally enjoined by Brown, Dickey goes for the sticks and Lopez settles into a rumbling groove. The bassist saws through "Plateau," defining harmonic parameters for Brown to ponder while Dickey establishes ever-changing moods.
"Expanding Light" is the powerful product of the thirty-plus years Dickey and Brown have spent playing together, playing freely but with purpose and unity. What's more amazing is that Lopez is performing like he's been playing with them for that long as well. The bassist uses his bow to engage directly with Brown on "Mobius" as Dickey deftly uses cymbals to create a sound vapor around them and reset the pace.
Brown's most urgent playing is saved for "The Opening," and he spends nearly the full five minutes wailing with an emotional impact supported by the controlled turbulence of the rhythm section."-S. Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews