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Desertion Trio — Numbers Maker
(Cuneiform Rune 479, 2021, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2022-07-12

Numbers Maker Cover art

When it comes to the basic guitar power trio (and any other configuration, for that matter), there’s a spectrum along which groups can be located, from tightly composed music with precise coordination on one end to free improvisation on the other. Good music can be made at any point along this continuum. Nick Millevoi’s Desertion Trio sits firmly towards the improvisational side: there are some coordinated moments, but much of the music consists of wild playing on the guitar while the bass and drums throw down some high energy backing. Luckily, Millevoi’s playing is interesting enough to keep a listener’s attention. He’s not a precise technician, more of an anything-goes wildman, and I’m reminded a bit of Raoul Björkenheim at times. Feedback and distortion are applied freely, as are other effects, for a very distinctive tone. He’s the kind of player who frustrates listeners who like to separate rock from jazz, as his aggressive tones are clearly descended from rock, while his freedom and approach to music have much in common with jazz. I’m not prone to categorizing music, but as a shorthand I’d say Numbers Maker is really loud jazz. Johnny DeBlase (bass) and Jason Nazary (drums) are a powerful propellant, and could be seen as interpreting the bebop idea of fast swinging drums and a walking bass line in a context informed by decades of rock. These guys are positively on fire at times. The old classic “Taboo” provides an opportunity to get moody at a slower tempo, with nods to surf music, but then it’s back to the races with the title track, an eleven-minute slab of shifting perspectives that starts out quietly but at a fast tempo, then builds up, accumulating rhythmic wrinkles as it goes, eventually breaking down into a nearly formless chaos that somehow seems to preserve the pulse even though no one is playing with it. I suppose Desertion Trio isn’t for everyone, but it really connects with me, and I thoroughly admire their sense of adventure.

Filed under: New releases, 2021 releases

Related artist(s): Desertion Trio / Nick Millevoi

More info
http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/numbers-maker

 

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