In Common 2

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In Common 2
Studio album by Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens

Publication
(s)

2020

Label (s) Whirlwind Recordings

Format (s)

CD

Genre (s)

Modern jazz , postbop

Title (number)

9

occupation
chronology
in Common
(2018) 		In Common 2 -

In Common 2 is a jazz album by Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens . The recordings made in 2019 were released on Whirlwind Recordings in 2020 .

background

The band recorded together for the first time in 2017 to perform the original compositions written for the session. Drummer Nate Smith and bassist Linda May Han Oh played with the two bandleaders Smith / Stevens . While In Common also introduced a new generation player in the form of the vibraphonist Joel Ross , In Common 2 presents the young pianist Micah Thomas . Nine of the pieces are original compositions; the title "Roy Allan", which opens the album as a duet, pays homage to the late Roy Hargrove , who composed the title (the original version appeared on Hargrove's 1995 album Family ).

For the cover picture, the record company took the group recording from the first In Common album from 2018 and glued the oversized heads of the new members onto the bodies of the retired rhythm group . The pianist Micah Thomas (who takes the place of Joel Ross ), the bassist Linda May Han Oh and the drummer Nate Smith look over the crumpled casual clothes of their predecessors.

Track list

Matthew Stevens Nasjonal Jazzscene, Oslo 2019
  • Walter Smith III: In Common 2 (Whirlwind Recordings)
  1. Roy Allan (Hargrove)
  2. lotto
  3. cowboy
  4. Clem
  5. Van Der Linde
  6. Provinces
  7. General George Washington
  8. Little lamplight
  9. Opera; Type rider
  • Unless otherwise stated, the compositions are from Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens.

reception

The album received a consistently positive reception from jazz critics; JD Considine awarded 4½ (out of five) stars on the Down Beat . According to John Bungey, who reviewed the album on the London Jazz News, the album presents “clever, inventive New York chamber jazz tones. “Matthew Stevens is the guitarist for American thought leaders. Its peppery chords and angular runs add flavor to the music of Christian Scott , Esperanza Spalding and Terri Lynne Carrington . ”There are ten pieces on In Common 2 - short stories with the same freshness and spontaneity that you hear on their first album have. But, according to the author, they have a greater impact here overall. The pieces, written with the aim, according to the bandleaders, to get to the music quickly, were mostly based on simple riffs , moods that mix melancholy and happiness. The music, Bungey said, "is a compelling mix of structure and improvisation, funk and free form - a useful update of where some of New York's most creative players are going."

Nate Smith 2017

The critic of Glide Magazine wrote: “Like its predecessor, In Common 2 manages to be free and strongly structured, melodically accessible and yet thoroughly contemporary, mostly thoughtful in tone and rather simple and beautifully structured. With many of the songs recorded in a single take, the album underscores the ingenuity and immediacy that these kindred spirits have in common. "

Paul Rauch ( All About Jazz ) awarded the album 3½ (out of five) stars and said that In Common 2 captures the dynamics of modern jazz music, which is becoming more and more free within the dense structure of the composition. The original pieces are “modern, melodic and accessible. For a melody based improviser like Smith III, the melodies and staff are a perfect vehicle for his skills. For the same reason, Stevens' melodies seem to swirl around a bit, with positive results. ”The session managed to maintain a sense of spontaneity and true invention in the form spoken in a clear, shared language. While few risks are taken here, there is a lot of insightful play in a variety of musical landscapes.

Mat Micucci included the album in Jazziz's list of recommended releases of the month and wrote that compared to the previous album, the sound was different and yet equally dynamic, free and structured at the same time. Furthermore, the changed line-up helps to "keep things fresh".

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b John Bungey: Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens - "In Common 2". London Jazz News, May 6, 2020, accessed June 7, 2020 .
  2. ↑ JD Considine: Walter Smith III & Matthew Stevens: In Common 2. Down Beat, July 3, 2020, accessed on July 23, 2020 (English).
  3. ^ Saxophonist Walter Smith III & Guitarist Matt Stevens Form Inventive New Quintet for “In Common 2” (ALBUM REVIEW). Glide, May 6, 2020, accessed June 7, 2020 .
  4. ^ Paul Rauch: Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens - "In Common 2". All About Jazz, June 1, 2019, accessed June 7, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Mat Micucci: 10 Albums You Need to Know: May 2020. Jazziz, May 1, 2020, accessed on June 5, 2020 (English).