The Speed of Change

We Say...

Review by Britt Robson

Mike Reed founded the Emerging Improvisers Organization nonprofit in Chicago and has a hand in running the Pitchfork Music Festival and Chicago Jazz Festival there. Better yet, he's an auspicious composer and first-rate drummer, with a buoyant, springy beat similar to Matt Wilson's, which enables him to simultaneously galvanize and aerate his rhythms. His compositions take savvy account of the unique timbral possibilities in Tomeko Reid's cello, Jason Adasiewicz's vibraphone, and the post-bop sensibility of the entire Loose Assembly quintet.

"Soul Stirrer" features a foreboding, cinematic intro of Reed's timpani-like tom-toms and the bowed strings of Reid and bassist Josh Abrams, opening out into a gentle, Middle Eastern-oriented sway. A fairly substantial overhaul of Max Roach's "Garvey's Ghost" sets Reid, Reed and alto saxophonist Greg Ward in a combative, commingling triangle. The title of "The Speed of Change" makes a statement with its glacial, almost indolent, pace before the melody begins to creep and insinuate, Ward's horn crooning and then ululating, and Reid's cello yawling like an alley cat. Rather than being disjointed, the group improvisation "Ground Swell" feels as taut as a mystery novel, right down to the clever plot twists. "X" is a sax-vibes duo that showcases Adasiewicz's versatility as he moves back and forth from brittle clatter to glowing sparkle with his mallet work. Finally, for fans of more bop-oriented propulsion, there's "Tezetaye Antchi Lid" and "Exit Strategy," which (along with the Roach cover) are kinetic and diaphanous a la the Dave Holland Quintet.