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Chad Taylor Trio — The Daily Biological
(Cuneiform Rune 467, 2020, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2021-07-31

The Daily Biological Cover art

Chad Taylor’s trio is a somewhat uncommon combination of instruments. Taylor himself is a drummer, Neil Podgursky is a pianist, and Brian Settles plays tenor sax. Without a bassist in there to anchor things, the music is often very free-flowing, though of course Podgursky is quite capable of filling in lower frequencies. But the piano has a very different tone than a bass, so the difference is readily apparent. Compositional duties are spread around: of the nine tracks, two are from Settles, three from Taylor, and four from Podgursky. The three players work together admirably, presenting often angular melodies very lyrically. I’m often reminded of the kind of awkward intervals that Thelonious Monk was prone to, with unusual phrasing. Rather than steady grooves, most of the tracks feature propulsive herky-jerky rhythms that Taylor manages to make work — he’s one of those drummers that treats the parts of his kit as if they were melodic more than just rhythmic. “Recife” is a brief tune that shows this well. It’s got a bouncy latin-inflected melody and rather simple chords, but Taylor steps outside of any traditional latin pattern while managing to hint at the expected accents. He treats other styles with similar creative freedom, expanding upon swing and rock feels until they’re almost unrecognizable. Still, a thread of familiarity remains, keeping the pieces from wandering into out-and-out free jazz. Podgursky’s playing is equally inventive, fusing the previously mentioned Monkish elements with flourishes of dense chording and Cecil Taylor splashes of wildness. Settles is great as well, with a melodic sense and just a touch of outside playing. The Daily Biological is a very enjoyable set of slightly-avant jazz that’s accessible enough for most jazz fans but adventurous enough to please those who lean to the more unpredictable side.

Filed under: New releases, 2020 releases

Related artist(s): Chad Taylor

More info
http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-daily-biological

 

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