On this five-track 27-minute-long instrumental release guitarist Bailis is joined by the tenor-saxophonist Chris Speed, Eric Lane on piano and synth bass, and drummer Jason Nazary. The quartet recorded the full set in a five-hour session without any prior rehearsals. The guitarist says of the music, “The compositions are thematically based on awakening, the eternal, connecting with our roots of humanity, and an overall concept of simplicity.” It is not unusual for Bailis to sit back in the slot and let Speed take on the solo, sometimes joining in on the same notes, adding an additional nuance, so the note is punchier and broader at the same time.

It is jazz to relax into and that is one of the issues, it is just too easy listening and some of the underlying piano constructs are often quite repetitive. Given it is led by a guitarist I am somewhat surprised how much of the lead work he has allocated to the sax, and while the drums are hard at work they do not provide much cut through. That they recorded the compositions without prior rehearsals is to be commended, but it lacks the spark of live improvisation and off the wall responses while somehow also missing out on the structure of a planned studio session. The result is something which is pleasant background music but never any more than that.

Rating: 6/10

Links:
https://www.davidbailis.com/