Album Review: Findings from Jim Dedrick

Album:  Findings
Artist:  Jim Dedrick
Label:  Self-Released
Website:  https://jdedrick.wixsite.com/website

Findings, the latest offering from a Baltimore-Washington, DC based jazz trio comprised of bassist Jim Dedrick, pianist Tom Reyes, and drummer Chuck Ferrell is an experiment in playing what comes to mind in the moment.  According to the press release, all three musicians were recorded live in one room with no charts, scripts or notations in front of them, and no rehearsals prior to the recording.  Working only from the ideas that enter into their minds as they perform whatever arises in their thoughts and concentration at any given moment.

The instruments were recorded as close to their unamplified tones as possible to highlight their natural qualities with no additional electronic enhancements.  It's an experimental approach to creating harmonic forms and chord progressions with scores entirely comprised of improvisations.  The trio's communication is purely organic and personalized with spontaneous incisions made along the tracks.

The trio's interaction is more melodic sounding than one would think, relying on such an impromptu approach to performing.  In "Lugubrious," the musicians give each other space to branch out and roam while remaining cohesive, as the three develop their parts along the conversation.   Their passages are each expressions of deep concentration, flowing and flapping in capricious directions and forming melodic patterns that engage the listener.  Activity and movement are each discernible in the performance, like a live specimen continuously evolving, undergoing a metamorphosis with each step taken.

The haunting tone of "Tension" shows another side of the trio, as the rhythmic beats of Dedrick's bass keep a steady pulse while Ferrell's drums thrust and Reyes's keys pierce through the melodic channels.  The esoteric vibe of the passages introduces a new element into the recording, more erratic and abstruse than the previous tracks.  Changing the temperament and atmosphere is the shuffling grooves of "Bullfrog Burp," exhibiting a flare for a bebop-inspired interplay, and the silky threads of "Kelly," kindling a soothing voice in the trio's panoramic phrasing.

The trio's approach to making music by letting the notes unfold and develop organically, as the musicians play off of each other's input, utilizes the influences of each of the participants in addition to showcasing their ability to add new elements to the conversations.  Their impromptu additions keep the tracks active, maintaining a state of continuous metamorphosis that demand listeners to concentrate on the trio's movements.

Musicians:
Jim Dedrick - bass
Tom Reyes - piano
Chuck Ferrell - drums