When the virtuosic drummer Whit Dickey released his Expanding Light album in 2020, he launched a new era in his career, as this release closely corresponded to the launch of his TAO Forms imprint but also presented his new trio with Rob Brown (alto saxophone) and relative newcomer Brandon Lopez (bass). In 2022, Dickey introduces his new ensemble, which is the same as his trio, but with violist Mat Maneri added.
For his new quartet – just as with his ‘old’ trio – Dickey wants to maximize the freedom of everyone in the group. Astral Long Form: Staircase In Space is a spiritual communion among four like-minded musicians, taking the handful of sketches Dickey brought to the sessions and molding fully realized, in-the-moment art from them.
“Blue Circuit” spotlights the spontaneous action and reaction among the four participants, and how Dickey is able to listen to what everyone else is doing at once and instantaneously modulates his playing to what he is hearing. Running nearly 20 minutes long, the quartet doesn’t stay in one place and they collectively transport from one idea to another before dwelling on one for too long.
“Space Quadrants” is a collision of saws between Maneri and Lopez. Dickey carefully chooses his spot for entering the fray and by the time the last member (Brown) appears, the song takes shape. One of Maneri’s gifts is his ability to make his viola blend in so naturally with a saxophone, a gift that’s on full display here. The Maneri/Brown symmetry continues on the sorrowful “Staircase In Space,” with Lopez’s arco bass neatly rounding out the collective dark tones.
Dickey improvises with a pianist’s mindset, striking his drums akin to striking keys on a piano, something that’s on display at the start of “Blue Circuit” as well as “The Pendulum Turns.” On the latter, this provides the springboard for Brown’s introduction of the melody, providing Maneri his own phrases to ponder whilst Lopez sets out a leisurely walking bass.
“Signify” is a very slow buildup to a release that happens about two-thirds of the way through. Following that is a telepathic interaction between Lopez and Dickey, with the latter conjuring up the spirit of his drum hero and former mentor Milford Graves, who passed just days before the band convened to record this.
For the recording sessions that bore Astral Long Form: Staircase In Space, Dickey shared that he “asked Rob, Brandon and Mat to not think about time too much; I just wanted them to play; not to follow me or each other. There was a lot of freedom granted, and I hoped the lines would intersect with meaning.” His deep trust in his bandmates and himself was greatly rewarded.
Astral Long Form: Staircase In Space is now out, courtesy of TAO Forms.
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