For those keeping track, Booker Stardrum (drummer of the new group Play Time) has been on a hell of a roll in 2026. In the first six months of the year, he's released a solo record, partnered up with Evan Shorenstein on the excellent album Oops!, and his group SML recently released their astounding live album Spontaneous Music Live. It's been incredibly impressive to say the least. Entering the back half of the year, his latest group Play Time issued their debut album Magic Object and came to Public Records in Brooklyn to show off their collective skills to a captive audience. Joining Stardrum in this trio are Ben Vida and Will Epstein on electric piano and saxophone / contra bass respectively, two more musicians who are no strangers to the recent wave of ambient-leaning space-jazz that has flourished in the wake of the pandemic. While a lot of music in this newly blossoming genre are heavily improv-based, Play Time's music is more determined and composed. Named after their approach to jamming, the music formed once they found each other's grooves and began to understand their musical approaches as a unit. Playing together as a hobby led to their desire to perform rehearsed tracks live and the result has been a spectacular hit. Signing with the European label Balmat might also suggest a more electronic body of work and while this is certainly not an acoustic jazz trio, there's less manipulation happening here than you might expect. As they settled behind their gear, the trio didn't really wait for the house music to subside before Vida began to pluck out an opening, repetitive chord and the other two followed in shortly after, their rhythms direct and on cue. Stardrum's layered beats were sharp and on point, a much more direct and intent style than on some of his other projects and Epstein's woodwinds did a lot of work to follow the groove as well. Solos were not part of the equation on this evening and the band's very intentional moves were conducted with wonderful precision. Together, the trio was in lock step and every song solidified their structure as a proper band, no one seemed to be the lead and each one knew precisely how to follow the others as they weaved these patterns together, not always in the same time signature, but always aware of what was coming next. "This is a contra bass recorder" said Stardrum as Epstein pulled the instrument in front of him. "Has anyone ever seen a band play one before?" He followed. A resounding silence confirmed that this was to be a unique experience for all and as the band revealed that it only appears on the album's title track and would only be making a brief appearance during the show, the attention towards the towering wooden object became immense. It's low hum gave the next song a subtle rumble, the looming and ominous sound a new vibe to the band's slower performance. Just before the final number, the band hit us with their must infectious groove and Epstein unleashed some truly powerful saxophone wails that allowed for Stardrum to pull cascading rhythms over his drums while Vida delivered the rapturous melody as he tickled the keys into a frenzy. As things wound down and the music dissipated into the ether, the exiting swirls of electric keys and looping sax were met with bird song before fading out and concluding a night of intoxicating musicianship and the utmost chill.
No comments:
Post a Comment