CRAIG TABORN – TOMEKA REID – CHES SMITH “Dream Archives”

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ARTIST

Craig Taborn – Tomeka Reid – Ches Smith

ALBUM TITLE

“Dream Archives”

LABEL

ECM

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This long-awaited debut documents a dazzling trio that had already proven its worth on stage. What comes together here is not simply three exceptional musicians or three major artistic personalities, but three distinct musical perspectives that achieve a remarkable degree of complementarity within a shared sonic language.

Such a complete fusion is often sought – and occasionally achieved – in the realm of free improvisation, a territory all three musicians know intimately and have explored throughout their careers. Taborn and Smith, in particular, have collaborated repeatedly, often producing results of extraordinary intensity and lasting significance. What is especially striking here, however, is that this synthesis unfolds within an album rich in clearly defined formal structures.

In this respect, one must also acknowledge Taborn’s skill as the project’s nominal leader and composer of the four original pieces. The sequencing of the programme is carefully conceived. “Coordinates for the Absent” and “Feeding Maps to the Fire” establish both the atmosphere and the fully realised dramaturgy of the album, articulating a manifesto of simultaneity in which everything coexists: improvisation and composition, jazz and chamber music, acoustic sonorities and subtle electronic inflections, the legacy of the piano trio and a more animated, multi-directional interplay.

The album revolves around a central fulcrum represented by Geri Allen’s “When Kabuya Dances” – a recurring point of reference for Taborn – and a weighty, reflective reading of Paul Motian’s “Mumbo Jumbo”. The longer pieces, “Dream Archive” and “Enchant”, form the closing section of the album. The former unfolds through a powerful expressive crescendo that gradually prepares the listener for the latter’s spellbinding conclusion – a contemplative and pacifying oasis in which complexity and tension finally dissolve.

Taborn and Smith are currently at the height of their artistic powers. Their collaborations have consistently yielded music of exceptional ambition and intensity. One thinks of the trio with Mat Maneri documented on The Bell, later expanded to include Bill Frisell – unforgettable experiences both on record and in concert – as well as their participation in a landmark work such as Dave Holland’s Uncharted Territories.

Their rapport, therefore, comes as no surprise. What is truly inspired is the decision to place Tomeka Reid within this already formidable axis. Her presence introduces an additional layer of unpredictability, timbral richness and both melodic and rhythmic support, further expanding the trio’s expressive possibilities.

The result is an essential recording by a group we can only hope to hear live before long. Equally deserving of praise is the recording itself, whose natural, unforced sound conveys a rare sense of immediacy and truthfulness.

Sandro Cerini

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