Kim Cass has long added the keen bite of his bass to a number of recordings by Noah Preminger, Kate Gentile and Matt Mitchell. Now, he’s offers that and much more for a record of his own, with Levs (PI Recordings).
Cass put forth a solo bass album in 2015 so Levs isn’t his debut, but in a sense, it is: for the first time, we get a glimpse of what he’s capable of as a bandleader. He heads up a base trio with Matt Mitchell and Tyshawn Sorey that’s lightly supplemented by flutes (Laura Cocks), euphonium (Adam Dotson), and sampling from Cass. Along with an occasional synthesizer from Mitchell, Cass is able to extend the possibilities from his compositions beyond what only acoustic instrumentals can offer.
His compositions themselves are brimming with fresh possibilities, having drawn inspiration from modern classical composers like Stockhausen, Arnold Schoenberg, and Pierre Boulez, taking special care to devise handwritten notations that visually jump off the page, not just sonically.
Cass opted for concise pieces mostly running in the two to three minute range, melodically ambiguous but often rhythmically precise and complex. That’s where Sorey comes in. Further, Cass birthed these compositions from the bass and left it to the pianist to come up with the chords to fit around it. That’s where Mitchell comes in.
Like his main supporting players, Cass is absolutely fearless as a technician, and his scores push him out toward the far out limits of his abilities, inspiring his colleagues to likewise stretch. “Slag” is chock full of notes, an interlocking, scurrying broadside demanding the top-end of the of the trio’s collectively vast skillset. “Fog Face” goes from electronic to acoustic in an instant like a light being switched on but Sorey maintains his lopsided beat. Another surprise is sprung when Sorey lays out and Cass’s technical prowess is fully unleashed at the end. “Tentacle” thrives on its ambiguity of both harmony and rhythm, a free piece that organized around the wide parameters set down by Cass.
The performances are constantly shifting, as Cass seems to make sure to keep a song evolving and played unconventionally, even though time is limited. Mitchell chooses to simply follow Cass’ tangled bass line for much of “Levs”, highlighting the distinctive flavor of the bassist’s harmonic development. “Gs” has Mitchell and Cass going along separate streams to start with, converging in the normal course of the song. “Time” is the first occasion of something sounding like straight jazz, but there’s hardly anything ‘straight’ about Sorey’s ‘less is more’ drumming, leaving gaps in the rhythm made possible by Cass’ own pulse being plenty strong enough.
Where technology is employed, it’s done so tactfully in service of Cass’ main ideas for the song. “Ripley” is essentially a two chord number very similar to Bill Evans’ “Peace Piece” but any possible monotony is broken up by sampled flutes floating about. Mitchell’s Prophet-6 is heard prancing amidst his piano on the rambunctious “Rumple,” as Dotson gets a brief moment out front to balance the electronic swirling around in “Jungle.” Cass reasserts a lead role on “Body,” accompanied by sampled flute and a touch of synth.
“Trench” is the only track going past four minutes in which Mitchell metes out his chords selectively while Cass plays capriciously, then sawing his bass when pairing up with Dotson to form this low, low murmur.
For his first recorded undertaking as bandleader, Kim Cass challenges a lot of prevailing notions about what is jazz, what is jazz composition and the relationship between rhythm and harmony. Most of all, Cass challenges himself. He and his star colleagues meet these challenges head-on, making Levs such a breathtaking ride.
Get Levs now, from Bandcamp.
*** Kim Cass CDs on Amazon ***
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