At 81 years old, Henry Threadgill — who has nothing left to prove as a jazz composer of the highest order — continues to try different approaches in creating scores. Listen Ship (PI Recordings September 26, 2025) is a marvel of composition, arrangement and conducting combining to channel these strengths of Threadgill into another grand set of works that continues the tradition going back to Duke Ellington of jazz rendered as high art.
There are signs everywhere of Threadgill coming up with unique challenges and meeting them head-on. For one, this album boasts a hefty sixteen tracks, because all but five of them are succinct statements that clock in under two-and-half minutes. His arrangements continue to show imagination and avoidance of repeating himself: there are not one, two or three guitarists, but four of them, all acoustic: Bill Frisell, Gregg Belisle-Chi, Miles Okazaki and Threadgill’s ol’ stalwart, Brandon Ross. There are also two acoustic bass guitarists in Jerome Harris and Stomu Takeishi. And finally, the ensemble features two pianists, Maya Keren and Rahul Carlberg.
These different approaches in ensemble construction and composition all serve the trademark Threadgill peculiarity of intricately weaving together counter harmonies and counter rhythms that aren’t necessarily dissonant but also unanticipated, applying classical discipline to shape pieces that paradoxically enables freedom. Though extremely accomplished as a saxophonist and flautist, Threadgill focuses all his energy this time leveraging his prowess in conducting his music.
“A’ is a pensive piano-only introduction that over its 70 seconds nonetheless displays the composers style, as is “C’. They bracket “B,” which lasts twice as long, giving just enough time for the four guitarists to give the listeners plenty to ponder over, every part a key cog in a taut, mathematical construction. “D” is a return to the guitars, a more groove-oriented piece and the bass parts adding more clarity to the labyrinth melody.
While the four acoustic guitars and two acoustic bass guitars is a novel orchestration, sometimes it can resemble a more amplified version of Threadgill’s Zooid quintet, where Liberty Ellman played acoustic guitar and Takeishi on acoustic bass guitar. “L” is one of those times there’s a Zooid sensation, with a piano standing in for Jose Davila’s brass instrument.
Each track — long and short — is the master arranger employing different tactics that keeps the plot moving forward. So, while “E” is another piano-only piece it’s filled with moments of tension, release and repose this time. “H” possesses the intricacy typical of Threadgill’s works but without the tension; guitars bass and piano come together in a relaxed manner. On “F,” the guitar parts enter one by one and stop before they fully amalgamate.
“G,” the seventh track, is the first time both piano and guitar instruments appear together, but only a subset of them. “IJ” acts as two pieces fused together as the fused letters suggest, with guitars and bass playing during the first part and a lone piano for the latter one. “M” is a frisky face-off between two acoustic bass guitars.
“R” ends the set with the longest piece and the one that blends the guitars, bass and pianos together to the fullest potential, each participant having a part that stands apart from everyone else, coming together into a montage through Threadgill’s signature serial intervallic language.
So in making something completely new, Henry Threadgill also made something that’s completely within his character and couldn’t have been conceived by anyone else. The book on Henry Threadgill’s amazing career has already been published but Listen Ship keeps this compelling story going.
Pre-order/Order Listen Ship from Bandcamp.
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