Hank Roberts Archive

Harris Eisenstadt – Recent Developments –  Songlines

by Audiophile Audition | Jul 25, 2017 | Jazz CD Reviews

Harris Eisenstadt – Recent Developments [TrackList follows] – Songlines SGL 1620-1, 41:07 [3/10/17] ****: On his latest outing, drummer Harris Eisenstadt once again defies easy categorization and classification. (Anna Webber – flute; Sara Schoenbeck – bassoon; Nate Wooley – trumpet; Jeb Bishop – trombone; Dan Peck – tuba; Brandon Seabrook – banjo; Hank Roberts – cello; Eivind Opsvik – bass; Harris Eisenstadt – drums, compositions) On the 41-minute Recent Developments, composer/drummer Harris Eisenstadt redefines what ‘recent’ and ‘development’ can mean. Yes, this is new, recent music, the material develops over the album’s course, and the CD expresses Eisenstadt’s continuing artistic development. But Eisenstadt deliberately shows there’s more going on. For example, Eisenstadt merges older jazz elements with forward-thinking elements. During the 14 open-minded tracks, Eisenstadt blends contemporary, 21st century music with instruments typically thought of in context with jazz’s younger decades (such as tuba and banjo, or a muted trumpet), as well as instruments not often found in jazz (such as bassoon and cello). Eisenstadt also allots space for his nonet to develop their own musical identity via improvisation, as well as several interludes for duo and different groupings, which focus on specific instruments. Eisenstadt should be better known to […]