Sun Rooms (Delmark)
Nat McBride (bass)
Mike Reed (drums)
If you don't already know the a name, Jason Adasiewicz, you need to. Hailing from the increasing fertile and creative Chicago Underground scene which has also produced the Lucky 7s, Exploding Star Orchestra, Ken Vandermark and Jeb Bishop, Jason Adasiewicz is fast becoming one to of the most important exponents from the windy city. His newest release, Sun Rooms (Delmark) is only his third album as leader but he has been making his presence felt on a number albums as a session member for almost ten years now (including some the aforementioned).
While Adasiewicz previous releases, Rolldown (482 Records) and Varmit (Cunniform) both show a growing creativity on vibes and in writing, Sun Rooms is incredibly spacious and inventing. At times Adasiewicz feels more like a pianist moving effortless along the scales. Some comparisons to Bobby Hutchinson (circa Blue Note) or the Dave Pike Set might seems logically but don't necessarily fit. He has sited Andrew Hill as an influence which does come out at times in the complexity of his pieces.
His trio which includes Nate McBride and Mike Reed take Adasiewicz's compositions and envelope them with warm abstract tones. This is accompanied by Adasiewicz's delicate but forceful rhythmic structure. This is evident of the cover of Hasaaan Ibn Ali's "Of My Back Jack" and the wonderful version of Sun Ra's "Overtones Of China."
But its not just the covers that make this a really supreme step up from his previous albums. The material Adasiewicz has written for Sun Rooms shines with quality. "Get In There" and "Life" show intricacies and playfulness that Thelonious Monk would love. Fast paced and hard hitting "You Can't" shows some forceful interplay between McBride and Adasiewicz with Reed keeping the rhythm fresh and subtle in the background.
There is a hypnotic nature to these pieces that after the first spin you really can't get the rhythms out of head. That to me is the sign of a great record. Jason Adasiewicz is definitely a fresh nice voice from a avant garde scene that reveals New York in every way. Sun Rooms is a record that should not be overlooked by jazz fans.