Olin Clark (guitar), Louie Leager (bass) and Adam Ray (drums) are the New York City jazz trio Pieces. Their sophomore release, Lupine, is a five-track instrumental EP that displays their jazz-based style but also pushes a bit toward experimental and rock while staying rooted in the jazz traditions.
“Lupine,” the opening track, eases us in with a straight-ahead guitar-trio sound. Clark shifts smoothly between picked lines and chordal figures as Leager and Ray add color underneath. They have a warm, authentic sound, as if they set up in a live room and let themselves be themselves. (Indeed, the album was recorded in just two days.) Then Pieces veers from the standard, as Ray plays some melodic drum parts, and Leager takes the bow to his bass. As the band builds into a solo section, Clark changes his guitar tone dramatically–it’s either heavily effected or used to control a synthesizer. These are very interesting passages, as the phrasing is clearly from a guitar but the tones are not typical six-string sounds. We’re on notice that Lupine will not be your standard fare. The animal titles continue with “Boquerones” (anchovies), and they get a little heavier in feel and guitar tones. The feel (and chord progression) is closer to rock than jazz, although Ray keeps his ride cymbal swinging throughout. “look me in the mouth (i’m a gift horse)” pushes further to a heavier rock sound. Clark tracks dueling distorted guitars on the freakout middle section, which is held together by Leager’s steady, swinging acoustic bass. After this excursion, Pieces gets back to a regular jazz trio tune with “Asteroid Dodger.” It starts off with a bebop feel, with walking bass and in-the-pocket drumming. Clark, Leager, and Ray each takes a solo turn here–all are terrific–and, in an interesting twist, the track fades out. When’s the last time you heard a fadeout on a jazz record? “Bonk,” the final cut, ties it all together, touching on the styles heard earlier. The track morphs from a jazz-tinged ballad to a groove-rock feel: think of a minor blues tune interpreted by jazz guys. Clark drops a dextrous overdubbed guitar solo, and the band gives us a short wild ending (a la the third track) to put a cap on the proceedings. Pieces have done a fine job with Lupine. They push the sound of a jazz trio and get some interesting textures. They experiment and open things up, but keep the compositions and arrangements tight. Even if you’re not a jazz aficionado, this album is worth a spin. Enjoy!
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