“equanimity” w/ Kate Gentile:
“concentricals” w/ Ches Smith:
Matt Mitchell has a gift for using the piano to make sense of the most complex music forms, a facility that made him a key cog in Tim Berne’s Snakeoil ensemble. Funny thing about him is, the less accompanied he is, the more that gift becomes obvious. That’s why Mitchell positivity thrives on his upcoming album.
Oblong Aplomb (Out Of Your Head Records) is a follow-up of sorts to two of Matt Mitchell’s releases. One is his 2013 debut Fiction where he had the audacity to make his first record backed by only Ches Smith on drums. This is also a continuation of another long time collaboration with another drummer, Kate Gentile, who with her put forth a massive, 6-CD opus in 2021 called Snark Horse.
For the all-piano+percussion Oblong Aplomb, Mitchell devoted 12 of his new originals to his alliance with Gentile and another twelve where he’s paired with Smith, combining a pianist who shatters the demarcations between harmony and rhythm with percussion geniuses who also blurs such distinctions.
And that is why this streaming premiere is actually a double premiere, introducing a song a piece from Mitchell/Gentile and Mitchell/Smith.
Representing the Kate Gentile half of the album is “equanimity,” with Mitchell playing the song like an étude on a joyride. Gentile is with him every single note of the way as if the drummer and pianist share the same mind. “concentricals” sees Smith playing on a wider circle than Mitchell but around the same center point (thus, the title). Combined with a heavier lean on the cymbals than Gentile, a looser feel results.
Oblong Aplomb will go public on April 14, 2023. Pre-order/order it from Bandcamp.
