‘Numbers Maker’ sticks with the Desertion Trio original vision, but that vision is getting rougher and rowdier. Fortunately, Nick Millevoi & Co. know how to do rough ‘n’ rowdy.

Desertion Trio’s fun and unpredictable all-covers ‘Twilight Time’ is a vehicle for mining a wide range of non-jazz influences for Nick Millevoi.

None of the great talent assembled here gets stretched near their limits for this Desertion Trio excursion, but this diversion is for an altogether different mood.

It’s by far the most listenable effort led by Nick Millevoi, but lack of harshness, density and dissonance doesn’t mean the lack of art in ‘Desertion.’

Inserting Toshimaru Nakamura into the mix doesn’t transform Many Arms, it amplifies their punk ethos/free jazz spirit instead.

Embracing technology in the making of music doesn’t guarantee good results, of course, but it always helps when time-honored principles and philosophies are also applied. And, of course, an open, creative mind. Johnny DeBlase held true to all of these things when crafting the darkly ambient ‘Guided Motion.’

<<< Part Two, Mainstream and Modern Jazz ||| Part 4, Fusion Jazz >>> In continuing with a long-held tradition, I’ve parsed out the jazz that goes avant-garde from the more conventional stuff. You May Also Like: Jimmy Haslip, jazz bassist: The Albums That Shaped My Career

If you happened to peruse the Half-Year List of Top Albums for 2012 for Modern and Mainstream Jazz before this list and you’ve been keeping up with the latest jazz releases, you might have wondered, “Where’s that new Matthew Shipp?” You May Also Like: No related posts.

Johnny DeBlase plays bass for a couple of thrash-jazz bands, including one of my personal favorites, Many Arms. You May Also Like: Desertion Trio – ‘Numbers Maker’ (2021)