The duo of Matt Mayhall and Dan Rosenboom is not your typical drum ‘n’ trumpet duo but perhaps there’s not much typical about such a combination, anyway. With lengthy reputations for applying virtuosity to cutting edge jazz, improvised music and rock, the two also bring a unique telepathy to a project that’s built up over the last thirteen years.
Their brand new album Language likely refers to what they have developed together in conversing one-on-one musically for so long, and it shows. A mixture of pre-composed and spontaneous performances, it’s often impossible to tell by ear into which category each track falls, since there is both a fealty to harmonics and a disdain for constraints.
The challenge for Mayhall that comes with his more exposed position has little to do rhythm because he can handle that with ease; he must have the right cadence, the right hues and timbres at the right spots and must come up with these things with little to no premeditation. It’s a challenge met. Rosenboom likewise shows much agility by extending the range of his trumpet or cornet to meet any design, occasionally expanding the tonal palette of the trumpet through the use of electronics.
With its Spanish feel, it seems the only thing missing from the into “Overt” flamenco guitar. But then out of nowhere, the two launch into the busy swing of “Longview, TX” (a song originally performed on Mayhall’s Fanatics) where Rosenboom bopping along on Mayhall’s joyful ride.
Rosenboom can set complex moods without anyone’s help and on “A Small Good” he sets a pensive, slightly melancholy tone with Mayhall establishing as small of a footprint as possible with his brushes. In contrast, it’s Mayhall who is the primary element in “Parallax,” using toms and cymbals to create a tonal cloud with tension to set the stage for Rosenboom’s horn played with a pure resonance. As Rosenboom pours out the melody in his own, unhurried pace, Mayhall marshals his prowess to provide the muscle to go along with Rosenboom’s emotion.
Rosenboom’s itchy trumpet leads the way on “Polychrome” and Mayhall follows his lead as the trumpet reels off a dense cluster of notes. “Vortex” is nearly a straight continuation of “Polychrome,” where Rosenboom’s chops reign supreme.
“On The Way” starts out as slight as the two can get, but slowly coming into focus are Rosenboom’s false notes that turn into real ones and Mayhall’s mallet patters turn into thuds until the song rises up to end at its highest note. ”
The cuts assisted by technology have a fascination of their own. Rosenboom’s electronics and effects on “Nuclear Lemons” — which almost makes it appear that there are two trumpets playing — give off a little bit of a Jon Hassell vibe, but Hassell’s work doesn’t feature anything like Mayhall rocket fuel propelling the song into orbit. With distorted noises resembling a heavy-metal guitar, “Nothing Comes On Tuesday” is that rare bonafide punk rocker coming from just trumpet and drums.
Language drops May 1, 2020 from Orenda Records. Purchase Language from Bandcamp.
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