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Tyshawn Sorey: Pillars
ByTyshawn Sorey
drumsb.1980

Stephen Haynes
cornetb.1955

Joe Morris
bass, acousticb.1955

Mark Helias
bass"Pillars I" is the first disc and it opens with a four-minute Sorey drum solo, augmented by

Carl Testa
bass, acousticb.1984
A deep, woody bass, and intricate guitar work, again with an ambient backdrop, reaches twenty-minutes into "Pillars II." Helias and Rowden here engage in a casual dialog at first but dissonance and unidentifiable noises emerge. The gradual appearance of percussion and brass give the second section an oddly ceremonial feeling. Sorey's dungchen and

Ben Gerstein
tromboneShortly after the October, 2018 release of Pillars, the Firehouse 12 label released (in November, 2018) the double-LP Pillars IV, consisting of four pieces edited from the same sessions. Each of compositions are from twenty to twenty-five minutes but "Part I" through "Part IV" of the second collection are stand-alone works. As with the October release, Sorey gives us perceptive composing and bold, imaginative interchanges; he isn't dependent on experimentation but when he chooses that route, it feels risky, perplexing, and strangely appealing. At its best, Pillars combines that sense of adventure, with improvised melodies and mysterious voids. The results are brilliantly appealing and truly unlike anything on record. Sorey has long been a highly sought-after drummer in jazz, but more than ten years ago, in his liner notes for That/Not (Firehouse 12, 2007), he stated: "I am a drummer who composes music; the function of this album is not a demonstration of my abilities as a drummer, but my interests as an artist." If there had been any doubt, listen to Pillars.
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Track Listing
CD 1: Pillar I)
CD 2: Pillar II)
CD 3: Pillar III).
Personnel
Tyshawn Sorey
drumsTyshawn Sorey: conductor, drum set, percussion, trombone, dungchen; Stephen Haynes: trumpet, flugelhorn, small percussion; Ben Gerstein: trombone, melodica; Todd Neufeld: electric and acoustic guitar; Joe Morris: guitar, double bass; Carl Testa: double bass, electronics; Mark Helias: double bass; Zach Rowden: double bass.
Album information
Title: Pillars | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Firehouse 12 Records
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