(Modern Creative, Beyond Jazz) [WEB] Tyshawn Sorey - The Inner Spectrum of Variables - 2016, FLAC (tracks), lossless

Tyshawn Sorey: drums
Cory Smythe: piano
Christopher Tordini: bass
Fung Chern Hwei: violin
Kyle Armburst: viola
Rubin Kodheli: violoncello

Tyshawn Sorey – The Inner Spectrum of Variables (Pi Recordings, 2016) ****½
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
By Troy Dostert
Tyshawn Sorey needs no introduction to the readers of this blog, as he has for several years been firmly at the forefront of creative jazz and improvised music. He is the antithesis of the showy, extroverted drummer, as for Sorey the stress is always on the beauty of the collective music made by his groups rather than the chops of the individual players. This aspect of his craft, combined with his unique compositional style, distinguish him as an independent and fiercely visionary musical force on today’s scene.
This extraordinarily ambitious two-disc release will certainly add to Sorey’s growing legacy. Comprised of six pieces, all but two over twenty minutes in length, it gives Sorey and his counterparts plenty of room to develop their expansive palette. Sorey’s established trio partners Cory Smythe (piano) and Christopher Tordini (bass) are joined by a string section including Fung Chern Hwei (violin), Kyle Armbrust (viola), and Rubin Khodeli (cello). I should say right off the bat that the musicianship here is impeccable: precise and expertly played by all, these are virtuosos at work. Sorey’s choice of string players was excellent, because they each have the flexibility and range needed to embody his distinctive musical ethos. And the recording quality is also first-rate, with all of the nuances and subtleties of each instrument coming through clearly and effectively.
As for the music itself, it definitively straddles the two worlds of improvisation and composition, making it almost impossible at points to discern the difference between the composed and improvised sections of the pieces. Sorey has spoken before of his indebtedness to Lawrence “Butch” Morris, who honed the approach he termed “conduction,” wherein improvised sections of a work would be guided or cued by the leader (http://jazztimes.com/articles/123065-tyshawn-sorey-remembers-butch-morris). One can hear Sorey’s reliance on that influence here, especially on the third track, “Movement III,” which is made up largely of short musical vignettes, often involving just a couple of the musicians, in what sound mostly like freely-improvised segments, without a clear theme or melodic structure. But if one listens to the second track, “Movement II,” one is struck by the beauty and elegance of what sounds to be a thoroughly-composed piece, largely showcasing the gorgeous work of the string players. These examples aside, most of the music is less easy to parse, and hence it is best enjoyed by simply taking it in. (Although it would be fascinating to watch this music performed live, as I do think it would be quite illuminating to observe Sorey’s role in “directing” the performance.)
Especially with two full discs of music, it does demand patience and concentration on the part of the listener. But the rewards for doing so are many, as there are stirring surprises to be found throughout. For instance, the opening of the second disc, “Reverie,” is comprised chiefly of Sorey’s sparse work on gongs and cymbals for the first several minutes, before he is eventually joined by the strings and piano, coming in individually and collectively with long, drawn out notes. The emphasis here is on sound and texture, and the overall effect is meditative and reverential—until about three-fourths of the way through the track when the strings launch into a vigorously jarring closing burst that is gripping and stunning in its power. In “Movement III,” we are treated to a funky, rhythmically complex opening that wouldn’t sound out-of-place on a Steve Coleman or Steve Lehman record, before the strings are allowed their freedom to explore completely different ideas; and then it’s on to another improvisational segment after that one. While some of these concepts take perhaps too long in their development (my endurance was admittedly tested a bit during some moments of “Reverie”), the overall bounty of musical figures and stylistic juxtapositions on these two discs is impressive, and there’s more than enough fascinating music to warrant repeated and close listenings, as new dimensions of the pieces emerge upon each hearing. And for those who like a bit more conventional post-bop, yes, that’s here too: a really catchy seven-minute Middle-Eastern-influenced portion of “Movement IV,” where Sorey proves that yes, he can certainly generate a groove when it’s called for!
This is one of those rare releases where one can say with confidence that something new and exciting is taking place. Sorey is fast becoming one of the most intriguing musicians and composers of his generation, and if this music is any indication, it signals the opportunity for more creative work to be done in bringing the worlds of classical and improvised music into closer contact. Truly a recording to be celebrated.

Tyshawn Sorey: The Inner Spectrum Of Variables
****½
By KARL ACKERMANN
Published: May 25, 2016
Tyshawn Sorey: The Inner Spectrum of Variables Tyshawn Sorey has realized a career's worth of accomplishments, accolades and appointments despite a professional resume that—with the exception of Vijay Iyer's Blood Sutra (Artist House, 2003)—is not quite ten years in the making. On the verge of his doctoral degree in composition at Columbia University, he has composed almost two-hundred works, and received the 2015 Doris Duke Impact Award. He is now set to replace the retired Anthony Braxton as Professor of Music at Wesleyan University in 2017. One of the most frequently sought-after drummers in the jazz world, he has recorded or performed with Wadada Leo Smith, John Zorn, Muhal Richard Abrams, Steve Lehman and Myra Melford as well as Iyer and Braxton.
Following Sorey's highly acclaimed Oblique—I and Alloy (PI Recordings, 2011, 2014), his two-CD The Inner Spectrum of Variables continues to capitalize on Sorey's expansive compositional and theoretical knowledge base and his unique expression of musical ideas. Inspired by the unflinching experimentation of the late Butch Morris, Sorey uses the cornetist/composer's method for leading improvisers and crafting arrangements as music reveals itself in real time. To that end, Sorey recorded The Inner Spectrum of Variables in a single fifteen-hour session. There are other influences at work as well: the AACM, Schoenberg and Bach, Steve Reich, Morton Feldman and Frank Zappa, among them.
Sorey's regular associates, pianist Cory Smythe and bassist Christopher Tordini are joined by Fung Chern Hwei (Sirius Quartet) on violin, Kyle Armburst (Metropolis Ensemble) on viola and cellist Rubin Kodheli (Brooklyn Rider). Each of the two CDs consist of three compositions; movements of the larger work. Disc One's "Movement I (Introduction)" and "Movement II" exude the attributes associated with classical ensemble style while "Movement III" sees a shift toward the more avant-garde. The insistent hum of the strings against Smythe's spikey piano creates an atmosphere of building tension, forcing the strings out of their natural environment.
Disc Two opens with "Reverie" and for the first six of its fifteen minutes, Sorey solos on an assortment of percussive devices, to mesmerizing effect. What remains is for the most part a spare but intense violin overlaying the drum set. "Movement IV" sees both sides of the double-trio making individual statements before coming together in an exotic swirl of sounds. "Movement V + VI + Reprise" closes the work starting from a relative whisper before taking a nomadic journey that is grounded in the fundamental elements of both trios, but never settling as tones and scales frequently shift.
Sorey doesn't so much blur the line between the conventional roles of the ensemble and jazz trio, as he does allow their individual voices tell two sides of the same story. The lyrical intricacies central to the suite are frequently intermingling their attributes as living entities would do in such close proximity. There is a spontaneity and natural flow in the mix of components that make up The Inner Spectrum of Variables and they belie the complexity and scope of Sorey's vision; it is the vision of a modern master.
Track Listing: Disc 1: Movement I (Introduction); Movement II; Movement III; Disc 2: Reverie; Movement IV; Movement V + VI + Reprise.
Personnel: Tyshawn Sorey: drums; Cory Smythe: piano; Christopher Tordini: bass; Fung Chern Hwei: violin; Kyle Armburst: viola; Rubin Kodheli: violoncello.

Sorey’s Dazzling Inner Spectrum
Posted 5/31/2016
Tyshawn Sorey
The Inner Spectrum Of Variables
PI RECORDINGS 65
★ ★ ★ ½
The title of drummer-composer Tyshawn Sorey’s extended two-CD set recalls the ambitiously “cosmic” appellations of albums from the 1970s. But the actual music is less easy to nail down, both in terms of influence and stylistic bent.
Loosely speaking, this is a modern classical composition, complete with string quartet, acoustic piano and percussion line-up. But Sorey has not been confined by the fences that are usually erected by creators of such works.
The string quartet features violin, viola, cello and contrabass. Sorey himself plays an expanded drum set adorned with gongs and extra cymbals. Frequent cohort Cory Smythe plays acoustic piano, opening “Movement I” alone, and with an initial opalescence, before sharply dissolving into a spidery skitter.
A mournful cello begins “Movement II,” groaning in contrast to the bright piano. It’s an introverted contemplation, but with firm strokes made by Rubin Kodheli’s bow. This brooding is edged with a sour vibrato, creating an old-school Romantic aura. The violin and viola skip and parade, preening themselves sweetly. The sound is more “respectfully retro” than ironic.
As the movement closes, its sustained high tones and periodic piano placements recall the ragged terrain of Arvo Pärt, its climax turning toward an abstraction that could have grown from free improvisation.
The second disc opens with the 15-minute “Reverie,” a high point of the work. Delicate gongs and cymbals create a restful aura, with sustained resonances and shimmering touches. The strings encroach gradually, with soft drones followed by a faint piano appearance. A spirited viola (or violin) heralds the Bartók-ian gloom of “Movement IV,” which oddly develops into a swinging gypsy-jazz section as bass and drums settle into a rolling gait.
Sorey is probing multiple musical areas, but the segues sound entirely natural. At its climax, the movement drops into free-falling abstraction, losing its swing, but gaining another kind of freedom.
—Martin Longley