eMusic Review 0
Saxophonist Lotte Anker, pianist Craig Taborn and drummer Gerald Cleaver have made two of the most provocative and satisfying jazz albums of 2009 (the other being Live at the Loft). Their trio is entirely democratic: each member introduces and responds to information freely. For all its abstruseness, Floating Islands is an immediately accessible program. This accessibility stems, at least in part, from the degree of cooperation required to successfully play this music. Each of the players is breaking ground; Floating Islands focuses much of its concentration on innovative ways to use repetition. Gerald Cleaver has developed a kind of micro-commentary on drums that's entirely his own. He references pulse without playing it, and then adds fast, tiny organic sounds beneath the larger framework. Pianist Taborn is an equally radical and singular player. Although blessed with stunning virtuosity, he's as likely to play simple patterns that conjure dreamlike imagery as to run roughshod over the keyboard. And Anker, with her hauntingly beautiful soprano tone and tough, utilitarian alto sound, is a smart peer with a keen ear for apposite responses.
One of the qualities that most impresses about all three players is their patience. After beginning "Floating" with a repeated alto figure,… read more »
