Micah Thomas - LYDIALIEBMAN.COM

Mountains
Release Date: September 13, 2024
Label: Artwork

Mountains is the highly anticipated new album from celebrated jazz pianist and composer Micah Thomas. This ambitious project marks Thomas' first large ensemble work, offering an expansive and emotionally rich listening experience that explores the depths of musical storytelling. This exploratory project features Thomas alongside some of the most inventive luminaries in modern jazz, including trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, trombonist Caleb Smith, bassist Kanoa Mendenhall and drummer Kweku Sumbry.

Drawing inspiration from his lifelong love of acoustic large ensemble music, Thomas reflects on the profound impact that formative musical experiences have had on his artistic development. Mountains is a testament to his journey through various musical influences, from Itzhak Perlman's orchestral performances to the emotive power of Charles Mingus' "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady," and the bold narratives of Mahler, Stravinsky, and Prokofiev.

Mountains is the result of a 2022 residency commission by New York City’s The Jazz Gallery. This album was recorded live over four sets of evocative performances at the iconic venue, taking place on June 16 - 17, 2023. The energy of the live atmosphere of this NYC cultural incubator abounds on each track of this illustrious release. Thomas indicates, "With Mountains, I wanted to create a collection that delivers a cathartic, massive experience for both performers and the audience. It's about capturing the incredible familial feeling and overflow of spirit that only a large group of musicians can create."

The album is structured to evoke the grandeur and diversity of the natural landscapes represented. Thomas meticulously crafted each piece to explore a wide range of contrasts—complex structures versus simplicity, repetition versus novelty, and intimate solos versus full ensemble sections. This juxtaposition aims to create a dynamic and unpredictable musical narrative. In short - Mountains rejects predictability and the orthodox in the name of creation. The album strikes a balance of telling a cohesive story without relying on tired structures and cliches.

Thomas composed the album in a fluid, improvisational manner, allowing the music to evolve organically. "I intentionally wrote in the moment, letting each section lead me to the next," he explains. "This method allowed me to capture the natural movement of the human imagination and heart."

Mountains is divided into four main sections:

"Life" - Inspired by imaginative flights through terrain, this track offers a complex musical journey that mirrors the diversity of organic structures.
"Processing" - A dramatic narrative that reflects the episodic and non-linear nature of grief.
"Hide" and "The Mountain" - These tracks explore intense personal emotions and the metaphorical long journey through wilderness.
"Divine" - Inspired by Alice Coltrane's orchestral music and the concept of finding something uniquely divine through artistic creation.

In conjunction with the album announcement, the first single from Mountains, titled "libre", will be released on June 7th. Inspired by the duo recordings of Paco de Lucía and Camarón de la Isla from the late '60s and early '70s, "libre" features a melody and groove that embody the spirit of freedom without limits. The track contains clips of improvisation from all four sets of the Jazz Gallery performances, spliced together by Thomas in post-production. The title "libre" signifies a sense of being unrestricted and boundless. The album’s second single release will take place on September 9, with the release of “The Mountain”. This piece utilizes a simple structure, a driving broken swing feel expertly laid out by the rhythm section of Mendenhall and Sumbry paired with harmonic drones from the horn section. The rhythmic and harmonic consistency of the piece incites a primordial push echoed by the melodic refrains of the horns. The composer indicates, “I wrote “The Mountain” to evoke a long journey. I wanted it to feel like you’re looking down a long stretch of wilderness that you have to go through.”

Mountains, a masterclass in modern composition, would not be the evocative sonic journey that it is without the album’s stunning personnel. Thomas reflects, “The contrasting personalities of the horn players set their creativity off. Kanoa and Kweku hadn’t really played together before, and I could tell they formed a strong musical bond very quickly. A lot of the collaboration happened very vividly without much talking about what specifically was happening, which felt magical - All of these musicians gave themselves 100% to the music”.

Mountains promises to be a landmark release in contemporary jazz, showcasing Micah Thomas' innovative compositional style and his ability to push the boundaries of musical structure and emotion.