Jason Stein has recently found the fountain of youth the same way Miles Davis used to find it: by surrounding himself with players a generation younger.
Earlier in 2020 came forth a trio project with a couple of adventurous indie-rockers (drummer Emerson Hunton and guitarist Ben Cruz) to form a Threadbare trio where they match and sometimes exceed Stein in adventurous spirit. Bass clarinet extraordinaire Stein met Adam Shead while Shead was still learning his craft while in college in 2015, and served as one of many guiding forces for the young drummer.
One night at the Hungry Brain and Cafe Mustache in Chicago last year, the two got together and — ostensibly — played music, documented with this new release Synaptic Atlas. I say “ostensibly” because here, it’s not at all about notes and charts but rather, making a metaphysical connection and exchange through their instruments.
The primary observation I get from “Observation” is the immediate impact of Shead taking paths not often taken. He takes an instrument meant for rhythm and turns it into an instrument that speaks, having an active exchange with Stein. He does so with a lithe touch, tapping in the snare, rims and cymbals to get timbres, not beats. It continues like that throughout the remaining seven tracks.
Other standouts occur on tracks like the short “Humility,” where Stein’s mastery of the bass clarinet is so complete, he can make it bend to his every whim. On “Compassion,” Stein takes so many unpredictable turns but Shead is with him every step along the way. The aptly titled, ten minute “Endurance” is bustling with inventions made up along the way, with very close listening between the two. Perhaps most intriguing of all is “Economy,” where Shead devises some squeaks from his kit that serve as high pitched counterpoints to Stein’s, lower-toned enunciations.
Jason Stein has proven himself as a force to behold a long ago, but newcomer Adam Shead seems headed toward Stein’s lofty status right out of the gate. Taking on such a challenging setting, he sticks the landing with a unique drumming style that doesn’t seem rooted in any genre or style. That’s bound to serve him well whether the music he tackles is highly improvisational like Synaptic Atlas, or not.
Synaptic Atlas will go on sale October 16, 2020 from Ears & Eyes Records.
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