Pianist Gabriel Zucker’s debut album also features Tyshawn Sorey on drums, along with trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and saxophonist Eric Trudell. There’s no bassist; the fifth member of the ensemble is the room, because Weighting features absolutely masterful use of mic placement and reverb, and even post-production. Listen to this album on headphones at least once. O’Farrill and Trudel play together at least as often as they solo, but they’re frequently swallowed up by reverb and echo, as though they got lost on the way to the microphone. Sorey’s playing a lot, on a kit that sounds like it’s made out of wooden buckets and barrels, and he’s kept in the background to prevent him from totally drowning everyone else out. Zucker’s approach to the keyboard reminds me of free jazz’s most aggressive players, like Dave Burrell, but a lot of this music is extremely gentle and beautiful, too.
Stream “The Uselessness Of Truth/Not To Be Anything More”: