Incorporating multimedia elements from the visual arts, literature, poetry and architectures into the music, innovative pianist Myra Melford presents her debut trio album, inspired mostly by the work of American post abstract expressionistic painter Cy Twombly (It would be interesting to know how she goes about this).
Opener ‘Drift’ quickly introduces drummer Smith with some ‘adjacent’ (counterpoint even) piano, ‘chiming’ percussion, and a bass solo from Formanek (who employs arco acoustic bass in the music). I loved the xylophone-rich (Smith again) ending with its inventive drum break. The opening ‘free for all’ of ‘The Wayward Line’ gives way to some intricate interplay. ‘Freewheeler’ ends in ambience as a piano/ xylophone’ melody shines through. ‘Streaming’ is a thunderous piece with another drum break and some avant-garde piano, while ‘A Line with a Mind of its Own’ lives up to its title, like a wayward musical study without ever straying too far. ‘Dryprint’ shows the physicality mentioned in the liner notes, a marvellous exposé of musical agility that sees Melford rippling up and down her piano at breathtaking speeds and some octopoidal drumming from Smith. ‘Chalk’ has some nice reflective moments to conclude an album which is punctuated by three interludes, the first with a scraped bass sounding like a cello), piano and xylophone combining on some ingenuous arpeggios that create the impression of a chiming clock, confirming the music as not only expressionist but impressionist.
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