The inclusion of electronics in contemporary jazz music is still sufficiently unorthodox that new releases in the sub-sub-genre have to be approached with a bit of caution. Are they there solely for decorative purposes? Are they added post-production? It’s still a rare thing to see an electronic musician contribution to a jazz record in a substantive way.
BlankFor.ms — the Brooklyn-based Tyler Gilmore — comes nowhere near those traps. The trio’s new disc is Shards, an eight-tracker that points the way for anyone interested in this still relatively new vein of jazz innovation. BlankFor.ms is joined by Jason Moran on piano and Marcus Gilmore on drums (no relation). This one is a follow-up to their 2023 stunner Refract.
BlankFor.ms isn’t simply twiddling knobs here. He records Moran and Gilmore and then feeds back treated recordings of their performance. Each artist is performing within the tradition of improvisational jazz interplay, except that BlankFor.ms’ contributions are more than simply a response to his partners. They are a reinterpretation of his partners’ performances.
Together, they epitomize what electronics in jazz can be. Firmly rooted in the best of the tradition, and uncompromisingly forward-looking.
The new one is a natural extension of Refract. Check out both together. Exciting and beautiful, without fail.
More new releases
Morton Feldman/John Tilbury – Palais de Mari: A solo-piano performance recorded live at the 2012 Tectonics Festival in Reykjavik. Somehow bold and gentle all at once.
eyal MAOZ piero BITTOLO BON zeno DE ROSSI – forced to feel: Take the challenge. Totally worth it.
The Moderns 