Phil Haynes & Ben Monder
Transition[s]
Ben Monder (guitar)
Phil Haynes (drums and percussion)
New York, June 4–6, 2024
Phil Haynes
Return to Electric
Steve Salerno (guitar), Drew Gress (double bass), Phil Haynes (drums)
Paramus, September 26–27, 2024
Corner Store Jazz, cornerstorejazz.com
The dominant tones are thick and opaque, murky yet full-bodied, occasionally breaking into more physical territory—particularly in the Coltrane composition that gives the first album its name. The atmosphere of Transition[s] veers between the dreamlike, the ghostly, the dense, and the surreal. It’s a fitting complement to the latest explorations of 64-year-old Oregon-based percussionist Phil Haynes. The duo with Ben Monder unfolds as a persistent meander through knotty sonic terrain, largely shaped by the monolithic, winding textures of the New York guitarist’s playing. In contrast, the purely percussive sections (which are non-rhythmic and relatively sparse) serve to distill and organize the sonic matter with a more architectural sensibility.
The trio album Return to Electric is notably more varied and conversational in tone—thanks in large part to Steve Salerno’s open, direct, and measured guitar language, which stands in clear contrast to Monder’s more elusive aesthetic. Fittingly, it is the double bass that opens the set, establishing a more grounded point of entry. The repertoire diverges substantially from the first album, which featured exclusively Haynes originals (apart from “Transition”). Here, the program includes pieces by Corea, McLaughlin (two), George Russell, and Wayne Shorter, along with one composition each by Gress and Salerno—five originals in total, strategically placed at the heart of the record.
The result is a more articulate and communicative album, though both recordings share a clear and coherent aesthetic vision. Whether in the duo’s shadowy explorations or the trio’s broader dialogue, Haynes once again proves his ability to shape soundscapes that are both challenging and deeply personal.
—Alberto Bazzurro
