2021 has marked the return of musicians getting back into the game of composing, recording and performing. Trumpet player, composer and band leader Dan Rosenboom has been among those eager to resume artistic activities but unlike other musicians, he didn’t mark his return by recording a stash of compositions he built up during quarantine. Nope, Rosenboom got with drummer Anthony Fung, turned on the recording machine jammed on riffs they made up on the spot. And then the two later added bassist Bill Mohler and the three recorded additional impromptu group compositions together.
Refraction is the product of these sessions, appropriately credited to all three since this was democratic improvisation in action.
Rapport was needed for this to work, and it’s a rapport already established at least since they convened with Gavin Templeton on Rosenboom’s Points on an Infinite Line from last year. Rosenboom adds electronic accoutrements on the fly, something he’s really good at using to enhance — not dominate — his organic trumpet playing.
The first half dozen tracks largely resulted from Rosenboom-Fung jams where Mohler added his bass afterwards. But it’s impossible to tell that these were 2 + 1 recordings as the bassist was able to place himself in the moment that had passed and effectively carve out his spots. “Where the Waves Conspire” is imbued with the spirit of traditional jazz even if Rosenboom’s electronics places the sonority well into the twenty-first century and playing in the spirit of Mwandishi-era Eddie Henderson.
“Dismantle Systems of Oppression” rocks hard even though it lacks guitar or even an electric bass; Fung is doing that all by himself on drums. But Rosenboom knows how to rock the trumpet and reels off rapid fire notes that shred like a guitar. Rosenboom finds rich harmony in the notes between the normal intervals for “Swallow the Sun,” as Mohler artfully dances around his horn.
Mohler anchors “Icarus” with propulsive acoustic bass lines that weren’t even contemplated when the basis of this song was recorded. Rosenboom’s electronics adds color and volume but his trumpet remains the central focus. “Reinvention” and “Apophenia” are brief Mohler solo acoustic bass showcases.
The titular track is actually played in four parts, a suite that emerged spontaneously from the full trio. On “Refraction, Part 1: Entertainment and Heresy,” Mohler sets a taut tempo that Rosenboom and Fung react with vision and telepathy. Mohler conjures up a circular figure for “Refraction, Part 2: All Time in a Grain of Sand” and Rosenboom spins off soaring, passionate notes from that.
“Refraction, Part 3: The Precipice” begins with Mohler alone, leaving behind breadcrumbs of a harmonic development picked up by Rosenboom and before long, all three are playing of a single mind down a staggered path. For “Refraction, Part 4: Where Are We Now,” it’s Fung’s turn to get things going, and his funky rhythm pushes Rosenboom into a lively run.
“Delusion and Consequence” is an occasion to slow down and playing an emotive, afflictive ballad, led by Rosenboom’s achingly lyrical horn. That muted feeling continues right into “A Prayer for Healing” on which Rosenboom sprinkles loops of his altered trumpet sound, leaving the center stage for his clear, perfectly intonated trumpet.
While America and the rest of the world tries to regain its footing, Dan Rosenboom, Billy Mohler and Anthony Fung have already made a full recovery, music-wise. Refraction is the sweet sound of renewal.
Refraction, from Orenda Records, is now available from Bandcamp.
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