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Patrick Brennan Sonic Openings: Tilting Curvaceous

By Karl Ackermann
May 23, 2023
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Patrick Brennan Sonic Openings: Tilting Curvaceous

The quintet project Tilting Curvaceous is saxophonist/composer

Patrick Brennan

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Patrick Brennan's sixth leader/co-leader date since the late 1990s. His duo recording Terraphonia (Creative Sources Recordings, 2019) with guitarist

" data-original-title="" title="">Abdul Moimême demonstrated a strong affinity for free improvisation within unconventional settings and uncommon concepts. Brennan is joined by trumpeter and flugelhorn player

Brian Groder

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Brian Groder. The native New Yorker has been a long-time fixture on the NYC jazz scene and has devoted a significant part of his career to the frequent use of free-form styles. His work includes original film soundtracks and multi-media presentations.

The remainder of the group has shared stages and studios with a who's-who of jazz. Detroit-born pianist

Rod Williams

piano
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Rod Williams has performed and recorded with

David Murray

saxophone, tenor
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">David Murray,

James Carter

multi-instrumentalist
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">James Carter,

Lester Bowie

trumpet
1941 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Lester Bowie,

Dewey Redman

saxophone, tenor
b.1931

" data-original-title="" title="">Dewey Redman,

Steve Coleman

saxophone, alto
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Coleman,

Geri Allen

piano
1957 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">Geri Allen,

Henry Threadgill

woodwinds
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Henry Threadgill,

Julius Hemphill

saxophone, alto
1938 - 1995

" data-original-title="" title="">Julius Hemphill,

Oliver Lake

saxophone
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Oliver Lake, and many other top tier creative artists. Bassist

Hilliard Greene

bass
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Hilliard Greene has worked with

Jimmy Scott

vocals
1925 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Scott,

Cecil Taylor

piano
1929 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Cecil Taylor,

Don Pullen

piano
1941 - 1995

" data-original-title="" title="">Don Pullen,

Steve Swell

trombone
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Swell,

Gebhard Ullmann

saxophone
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Gebhard Ullmann, and

Barry Altschul

drums
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Barry Altschul. Drummer

Michael TA Thompson

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael TA Thompson has played with

Matt Lavelle

trumpet
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Lavelle,

Sabir Mateen

saxophone, tenor
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Sabir Mateen,

Ken Filiano

bass
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Ken Filiano, and three groups under the late trumpeter

Dennis Gonzalez

trumpet
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Dennis Gonzalez.

Tilting Curvaceous is challenging on multiple levels; for one, the music is undeniably complex. Beyond the multifaceted improvisations, Brennan's compositions cohesively knit together large portions of jazz history. The fourteen pieces are relatively brief—half under three minutes—and consecutively numbered segments of a "tilting curvaceous" umbrella. In his liner notes, Howard Mandel states: "This album is also a suite of inter-related movements—separate, comparable, able to be curated for playlists or broadcasts." A start-to-finish listen paints the complete picture that Brennan has envisioned. "1" opens as a difficult melody that transforms into a more volatile version of its initial structure. Williams' elegant piano contrasts with Groder's growling trumpet on "2" leading to Thompson's driving beat and dueling horns on "3." Further in, "8" could serve as a late-arriving overture, with bits and pieces of the preceding collective variations. Brennan concludes the program with a solo that both sings and honks.

Brennan's visceral rhythm section adeptly navigates the sometimes frenetically shifting soundscape. The alto sax and trumpet, while occasionally clashing, often work to complement each other in unexpected ways. When Wilson's piano moves to the front, he brilliantly transforms the music, and Green, on "11," is featured in a dazzling solo introduction. Tilting Curvaceous is thought-provoking and cerebral but farther-reaching and not without an organic warmth.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

tilting curvaceous (1); tilting curvaceous (2); tilting curvaceous (3); tilting curvaceous (4); tilting curvaceous (5); tilting curvaceous (6); tilting curvaceous (7); tilting curvaceous (8); tilting curvaceous (9); tilting curvaceous (10); tilting curvaceous (11); tilting curvaceous (12); tilting curvaceous (13); tilting curvaceous (14).

Personnel

Patrick Brennan

saxophone, alto

Brian Groder

trumpet

Rod Williams

piano

Hilliard Greene

bass

Michael TA Thompson

drums

patrick brennan s0nic 0penings

band / ensemble / orchestra

Album information

Title: Tilting Curvaceous | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records

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Patrick Brennan Concerts

Oct 11 Sat

Ingardens Festival

First Street Green Cultural Park
New York, NY

Oct 12 Sun

Ingardens Festival

First Street Green Cultural Park
New York, NY

Oct 13 Mon

Ingardens Festival

First Street Green Cultural Park
New York, NY

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