Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » John Blum / David Murray / Chad Taylor: The Recursive Tree

John Blum / David Murray / Chad Taylor: The Recursive Tree

By John Sharpe
July 14, 2024
View read count

John Blum / David Murray / Chad Taylor: The Recursive Tree

Three equally potent partners combine in a spontaneous and intense outpouring on The Recursive Tree. Neither reedman

David Murray

saxophone, tenor
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">David Murray or drummer

" data-original-title="" title="">Chad Taylor require much introduction. Murray has been a colossus on the scene ever since he first erupted onto the stages of lofts across Manhattan back in 1976. Taylor has become increasingly ubiquitous, recognized as one of the finest drummers of his generation, as evidenced by his tenure with saxophonist

James Brandon Lewis

saxophone, tenor
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">James Brandon Lewis, bassist

Eric Revis

bass
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Revis and late trumpeter

Jaimie Branch

trumpet
1983 - 2022

" data-original-title="" title="">Jaimie Branch among many others.

That leaves pianist

John Blum

piano
b.1968

" data-original-title="" title="">John Blum as the least well-known member of the threesome. Dspite appearances on disc with bassist

William Parker

bass
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">William Parker, drummers

Sunny Murray

drums
1937 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">Sunny Murray and

Hamid Drake

drums
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Hamid Drake, trombonist

Steve Swell

trombone
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Swell and others, he remains an almost underground secret. That he studied with seminal masters such as

Cecil Taylor

piano
1929 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Cecil Taylor (and even worked for him as a rehearsal pianist) and

Borah Bergman

piano
1933 - 2012

" data-original-title="" title="">Borah Bergman, gives a clue to his style: percussive, high energy, predominantly atonal yet with connections back to bop and before. While some of his previous albums have suggested draughts from a continuous stream, the presence of form-seeking improvisers such as Murray and Taylor provides a satisfying showcase for the pianist's pyrotechnics.

It has been a while since Murray featured on a completely free date, but he dazzles on these nine collectively birthed cuts from a 2022 studio session, bringing all his experience to bear. He covers every part of his horn, fully in control from gutbucket punches to piercing altissimo, imbuing his careering runs with occasional hints of melody and the jazz vernacular. The way Taylor cannily accentuates particular components of his kit at certain times is a large part of what differentiates the discourse. Tonally savvy, in the lineage of the great Ed Blackwell, he resists the temptation to go flat out in response to the eruptive conflagrations, thus ensuring transparency and cohesion.

The default setting is dashing forward motion, piano and tenor in hot pursuit of one another, underpinned by a varied but compelling beat. Blum's left-hand facility means the absence of a bassist is never felt. He regularly deploys insistent rhythmic motifs which serve as launch pads, not only for his own glinting excursions, but also for Murray's flights of fancy. There is a lovely exchange between Blum's sparkling treble register and Murray's unbridled falsetto on "Monk's Door," but the fullest expression of their interaction comes on the lengthy concluding "Fractals" in a rampaging crescendo of overblown phrases and top-end flourishes.

Perhaps this exhilarating set with such blue-chip collaborators will be just what is needed to properly establish Blum's place in the pantheon.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Fire in the Branches; Kinetic Crawl; Passage; Hidden Thorns; Monk��s Door; Germination; The Recursive Tree; Creatural; Fractals.

Personnel

John Blum

piano

David Murray

saxophone, tenor

Chad Taylor

drums

Album information

Title: The Recursive Tree | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Relative Pitch Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

The '90s with Steve Coleman, Tunnels...
< Previous

Mere Noisemakers
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.