By Paul Acquaro
Last summer I had the pleasure of seeing Jason Adasiewicz play with Peter Brotzmann at the Vision Festival and it was the first time I had encountered a vibraphone being played by bow. Adasiewicz used the long fibers to extrude vibrant ringing tones from the metal bars, creating something new to my ears. On the solo piece that opens ‘Spacer’ he employs another technique that produces a percussive and staccato attack on the bars. Hearing these unexpected sounds helps help free the ears and cleanse the sonic palette.
Sunrooms is the trio of Nate McBride on bass, Mike Reed on drums and, of course, Jason Adasiewicz on vibraphone. The sound is one full of space and suspense. Adasiewicz lets the vibes pulsate and ring as he plays through the tune heads, often sounding larger than a trio. There are intricate parts, where his intelligent melodies engage the listener, and there are lithe parts where the rhythms section’s swing keeps the affair floating by. Several of the heads are Monk-like in their engaging catchy directness and unexpected knottiness.
The accompaniment is perfectly fitted too. The drums swing and give the proceedings great propulsion. McBride’s solo breaks, like in ‘Hi-Touch’, help shift the timbre a bit provide a nice contrast to the ring of the vibes. I particular like the composed syncopations, like in ‘Run Fly’, that really highlights the effectiveness of McBrides and Reed’s expert touch.
Though the the emphasis is on the vibes and it’s rich pallets of overtones, there is ample room for all players. The songs of ‘Spacer’ showcase the players well and present a group that knows how to get the most out of the trio setting. There is not one note or tone too many or too few here.
