Among other qualities, jazz has often provided a meeting ground for complexity and catchiness. In the 1920s and ’30s, “Harlem Stride” pianists held down chairs in the experimental music vanguard, while also becoming some of America’s first dance-music hitmakers. Ever since, experts have debated the “ideal” mixture of exploration and approachability. But both attributes are understood as crucial in the genre—and it’s always a thrill to encounter an artist who can balance the imperatives.
Trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson’s second album as a bandleader provides plenty of this excitement. Where his debut recording was an accomplished set, it also bore a strong resemblance to the work of saxophonist-composer Steve Coleman. That stylistic debt was come by honestly, as Finlayson has played his mentor’s complex, rhythmically cycling compositions for over a decade. But Moving Still hits in a more distinct way. While Finlayson is already held in high regard for his work with players like Henry Threadgill and Mary Halvorson, this album shows that the trumpeter is every bit as much a composer on the rise.
His counterpoint writing is still dense and active, but the tunes on top flow with greater ease. On the pulsing “Flank and Center,” members of Finlayson’s band have to navigate quick handoffs, passing the melodic line from one instrument to the next in quick succession. This is a common trick in contemporary jazz, meant to show off the dexterity of a group—though the melodic line itself can sometimes feels like an afterthought. No so here. Pianist Matt Mitchell and guitarist Miles Okazaki hit their notes with nervy energy, while Finlayson’s turns on trumpet often result in smooth and attractive completions of a phrase. The trumpeter’s subtlety extends to his own solo, where he flips an expected script: turning his tone even mellower, rather than becoming flashier.
Similar expressions of drive and lyricism are achieved with consistency on other tracks. The introduction to lengthy album opener “All of the Pieces” presents some of Okazaki’s most sublime playing, before the guitarist steers the full band into a swinging mood. Bassist John Hébert shows off a range of strummed and bowed techniques during “Between Moves”—a ruminative piece that turns hot in its final minutes. Mitchell’s piano is required to be both graceful (“Cap vs. Nim”) and clattering (“Space And”). At different points, Craig Weinrib’s percussion reveals his affinity for funk and ballad-style accompaniment. (Considered alongside his appearance on Henry Threadgill’s most recent album, it’s clear Weinrib has had a good 2016.)
Aside from all the fine soloistic moments, the band members excel in mixing these stylistic paints. The guitarist and rhythm section may suggest fusions with rock and soul, even while engaging with long, tricky lines composed by Finlayson. The ensemble’s sound can have the “cooking” feel much admired in hard-bop, even as the harmonic language stretches into modernist realms. The result is an overarching mood of delightful invention. Finlayson finds inspiration in chess, titling songs and even this group after aspects of the game. And though there are flashes of schematic obsessiveness in his work, he can also channel the gracefulness that’s apparent in any well-played contest. It’s not easy to create an original sound that “makes it new” and “keeps it traditional” at once, but at age 34—and after years of work alongside icons like AACM co-founder Muhal Richard Abrams—this trumpeter is there.
