Phases Of The Night

We Say...

Review by Charles Farrell

Bassist Barry Guy is a proponent of various forms of experimental music, with a field of expertise that ranges from medieval classical to contemporary avant-garde. His recording projects have run the gamut, from solo improvisations to large orchestral works. Guy's authority in each idiom is ironclad. Phases of the Night moves him into the approximate neighborhood of free jazz. Along with pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Paul Lytton, Guy subverts the traditional jazz piano trio model while never losing sight of its history.

Consisting of four lengthy pieces, Phases of the Night presents a kind of dreamscape, an imaginary voyage through the dark hours. Guy and Crispell share dominant roles, while Lytton generally works to provide a connective thread to their more "vocal" lines. Lytton is more interested in embroidering than in maintaining a steady rhythmic pulse; his phrasing is established through small, swift gestures. "Phases of the Night," the opening track, combines Crispell's rhapsodic, sweeping piano lines with Guy's restless, fingerboard-covering runs. Guy is able to switch between pizzicato and arco playing seamlessly, and he has an uncanny ability to combine rich long tones, which serve as pivots, with blindingly swift bursts of sound. The effect is similar to what two bassists might accomplish: holding the music firmly in place, yet somehow rushing it forward. "Insomnie" juxtaposes dark bass lines and "trashy" sounding percussion with sudden, crystalline piano exclamation. The music never rests, never settles down. Disquieting and unpredictable, it mirrors a night of tossing and turning.

Lytton matches Crispell's mood in a manner that's near-clairvoyant. "The Invisible Being Embraced" finds Crispell plumbing the darker regions of the piano, slowly establishing a theme of low octaves and tenths. Guy and Lytton enter cautiously, and the music expands into a dolorous conversation. The theme grows tumultuous, and then recedes, with Guy eventually returning to the bow. "With My Shadow" is a stately finale, a composition characterized by themes that remain slightly ajar, the piano lines ending a half tone above or below the octave, settling on an augmented or diminished interval before lighting on firmer foundation. Guy and Lytton allow Crispell ample space to develop her point, falling in behind her in a way that resembles more traditional jazz trio configuration. But all is not settled; the music once again explodes before coming to its final rest. "Phases of the Night" is a profound and challenging album. A committed listener will find much to absorb and prize here.