If you were to ask me, I'd tell you that SML is the best improvisational group in the game and if you've ever had the joy to catch them live, you know that their ability to bring together tight grooves that ebb and flow with loose melodies and free-flowing rhythms is something rather magical. The fact that it's all made up on the spot makes it even more compelling. You never can quite tell exactly where each sound is coming from and that is part of what makes their live shows so special. If you've ever listened to any of their recorded "songs," you can get a sense of this as well. On both of their records, 2024's Small Medium Large and last year's How You Been, you can experience this in short bursts as their songs flow from one another in a seamless, dizzying array. Now the group has announced their third release in as many years and this one takes things a bit further. Splitting the record into two sides, each half comprises one, unedited recording taken from a live, fully improvised set at LA venue Zebulon in December of 2025 and here can you really hear their music come to life. In this elongated, unbroken format, the talents of the band shines with stunning purpose and it's easy to get lost in the brilliance that seems to be coming at you from all angles. The vibrations of Josh Johnson's saxophone melts into Gregory Uhlmann's guitar loops and Jeremiah Chiu synthesizers it all together in real time to further explode your mind. It's a prime example of the band doing exactly what they do best and pushing the limits of just what can constitute a jam band these days as they continue to blur the lines between jazz, improvisational music, and something even more future-forward that defies genres all together.
Spontaneous Music Live is out June 26.
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