Shawn Lovato

Aiming for the sweet spot between notated and improvised music, New York bassist Shawn Lovato attains most of goals in this mini-suite crated for an expanded version of New Music ensemble Hotel Elefant. A series of individual showpieces integrated within the composition’s interpretation, besides Lovato the piece features violinist Patti Kilroy, guitarist Hannis Brown, alto saxophonist Michaël Attias, pianist Santiago Leibson, drummer Vinnie Sperrazza, and percussionist Colin Hinton. Like the bassist, who has played with stylists such as Brad Shepik, each septet member is part of the crossovers among various musics.

Introduced with a vigorous ascending drone made up of bass string thumps, dramatic piano pulses and curbed aviary squeaks from violin and saxophone, Lovato bookends individual showpieces with a reprise of the title track at the end. Here pointillist clips reference the head but in a more closely harmonized near rondo. While each player demonstrates cogent interpretive and improvisational ability, tracks encompass enough interjections from others to confirm this is an ensemble work. As each sequence’s section augurs and fades into the next, the most obvious displays of sonic light and darkness are the duos. Kilroy’s restrained string buzzes create the perfect counterpoint to Brown’s expectant frails that herald ascending speed and loudness on “Serenity Amid Absurdity,” for instance. While Leibson’s darkened keyboard bottom vibrations and Hinton’s tingling glockenspiel clicks underscore the contrasts in miniature on “Splitting Hairs Part II”. That the piece concludes with swift syncopation from piano, bass and drums plus saxophone peeps, confirms this Jazz-improv tranche of the composer’s ideas.

Microcosms is pleasant in the best sense of the word, and profound in the least stuffy fashion. It can easily join other musical meshed creations which define advanced 21st Century sounds.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Microcosms (opening) 2. Modular Ascension (for alto saxophone) 3. Serenity Amid Absurdity (for violin and guitar) 4. Splitting Hairs Part I (for drums) 5. Splitting Hairs Part II (for piano and percussion) 6. Splitting Atoms Part I (for ensemble) 7. Splitting Atoms Part II (for bass) 8. Microcosms (closing)

Personnel: Michaël Attias (alto saxophone); Santiago Leibson (piano); Patti Kilroy (violin); Hannis Brown (guitar); Shawn Lovato (bass); Vinnie Sperrazza (drums) and Colin Hinton (percussion)