Vancouver’s Gordon Grdina embraces almost anything musical, a passion that has led him to master not only the guitar but the guitar-like oud as well. He’s especially adept at adapting Arabic music forms to Western improvisational music. One of his first albums from ’06 was made with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian, which should tell you what a name he’s become among musicians before he became a name with the broader public, racking up acclaim and a JUNO award in his home country of Canada.
His latest album Nomad is also a trio, but a little unorthodox in that it’s the guitar/piano/drums variety, but the quality of personnel remains top-shelf with Matt Mitchell on piano and Jim Black on drums. Nomad is the third LP he’s put out in the last seven months, preceded by one from his quartet featuring saxophonist Oscar Noriega and a smaller ensemble encounter with Matthew Shipp and Mark Helias. Additionally, Nomad will be shortly followed by a recording from Gordon Grdina’s septet. Yeah, it’s pretty impressive he’s mastered both guitar and oud, but the productivity is something to behold, too.
Grdina is credited for composing all of the tunes on Nomad but they often have the appearance of gestating extemporaneously as they’re being recorded. Further, it’s immediately apparent from the opening moments of “Wildfire” that’s there’s no bass but it’s also immediately apparent that Grdina, Mitchell and Black are reveling in the freedom afforded by nothing on the low end to tie them down. The song’s got some untamed heat as the title suggests, and the band collectively forges forward until they accelerate their way into a steady groove (Black has a way of making everything eventually bind to a groove) and Grdina’s licks has a Joe Morris-like logic to it, but with more sting. Mitchell muddies up the distinction between comping and soloing, eager to find affinity with both Black and Grdina.
Gordon Grdina’s guitar soliloquy at the start of “Nomad” is startlingly original; his manner makes more sense when you consider that he also plays the oud, however. Mildly Mid-Eastern in its shadings, Grdina makes way for Mitchell’s piano showcase and Mitchell manages to amaze as much as Grdina did about a minute earlier, and then Grdina follows with another guitar run. The wandering “Ride Home” sounds pretty good, but even better when an ear is put on Black’s drums. There’s a minimum of guidance from Grdina as to where the beat is located but Black always knows not only where it is, but where it’s headed. The band works itself into a frenzy as it lurches toward the end, gaining a steady footing at last.
Like “Nomad”, “Benbow” commences with Grdina alone, but he’s in a pensive mood this time, and when Mitchell jumps in, the pianist is tracing Grdina’s plaintive lines, then paring off to offer up his own conception of Grdina’s enigmatic melody. Later, all three embark on some engaging group improvisation. Black alone handles the opening moments of “Thanksgiving” with aplomb, a drummer who uses subtle movements and timbres to deliver messages as much as the rhythm itself. By the time Mitchell states the basic theme, Black has already set it up perfectly with the appropriate pulse. Mitchell’s left hand maintains that figure while his other hand joins Grdina and Black in more group improv.
The oud makes an appearance on “Lady Choral,” a hushed, contemplative number with a European and – thanks to that oud – Middle Eastern flair.
Listening to this album, it becomes perfectly clear how Gordon Grdina’s Nomad Trio got its name. They wander without a clear map through vast musical terrain few can even attempt, and make it to the other side unscathed. Nomad is out on January 10, 2020 by Skirl Records.
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