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Paul Dunmall — Afraid to Speak
(Discus Music 211CD, 2026, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-06-23

Afraid to Speak Cover art

Most of the recent Discus label releases by Paul Dunmall that we have reviewed here featured expansive groups of six or more players: Bright Light A Joyous Celebration was a sextet, Red Hot Ice was a nonet, and the most recent, Away with Troubles and Anxieties from 2025, was an eleven-piece; one would figure from that trajectory that the next one would be a fifteen piece band, but instead he’s dialed Afraid to Speak back to a quintet for all but the closing track, which features six. The result is a pared down, more aggressive group featuring many of the players on those earlier releases: Corey Mwanba (vibraphone), drummer Miles Levin, double bassist Dave Kane, electric guitarist Steven Saunders, with Dunmall handling tenor and soprano saxes plus Bb clarinet, and on the set closer “Narendra” they are joined by Xhosa Cole on concert flute and piccolo. The five long cuts are mostly album-side length endeavors that showcase the strong playing of Dunmall, Mwamba, and Saunders by the busy rhythm section, all pulling in the same direction, a majestic exercise in glorious, joyful freedom scored by Dunmall, brought to full fruition by the group. Most of these players have a lot of experience playing together previously, but it seems like there is some newfound energy here that is at once melodic and edgy, carefree and brilliant, with fresh surprises around every corner. The seventeen-minute title track which opens the set calls forth the best in all the players, slowly building in a secret intensity that opens a platform for each soloist to crank out some of their best soloing. Only the five-minute “The Doubt Rises in My Mind” eases up some for a more gentle approach, with Saunders’ flowing ambient chords mingling with Mwamba’s mallets, giving Dunmall a free space to solo within, and to some degree the aforementioned “Narendra” carries a gentle, almost relaxed and mystical world-music vibe, unlike any other piece here, with the saxes and flutes intertwining in a graceful communion for much of its fourteen-minute duration, though eventually it does embrace some of the predictable whim and craziness of the jazz idiom. All taken, Afraid to Speak is a powerful statement of intent and execution.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Paul Dunmall

More info
http://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/afraid-to-speak-211cd-2026

 

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