New Release Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill from Michael Dease

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New Release  Found in Space:  The Music of Gregg Hill from Michael Dease
Label: Origin Records
Release Date: September 20, 2024
Website:  https://www.michaeldease.com
https://www.gregghilljazz.com

Balancing lyricism with dynamic harmonic formations, trombonist-saxophonist Michael Dease pays homage to the work of Gregg Hill with his project Found in Space:  The Music of Gregg Hill.  His reimagination of a handful of Hill's material keeps the basic motifs in tact while encouraging spirited explorations in the open spaces.  The sci-fi motifs opening "The Last Pop Tune" are filled with circling woodwinds and brass instruments as trumpeter/arranger Matt White incorporates frilly counterpoints by Bill Cunliffe on piano keys, and soft flails from Sharel Cassity's flute.  The band sails tightly, maneuverimg through various turns, rhythmic changes and chord dynamics along the course, keeping the track in a continued flux of motion.  "One for Rodney," a tribute to bassist-educator Rodney Whitaker and arranged by Joseph Herbst, is an eccentric tune with the instruments thrashing briskly, intercepting, surging, crisscrossing, and embroiled in lively entanglements.  The complexity of the intersecting musings culminate into a symphony of energetic voices that build into a multi-faceted harmony.  The musicians play with fervor and affection for the improvised jazz interplay, creating irregular time signatures and patterns, implementing diverse directional changes, and inventive chord choices.  Dease indulges in the spirited exploration process, manifesting vibrant fluctuations and limbered interplay.

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