Heard in a variety of groups and as a leader, drummer-composer Kate Gentile’s work intermingles classical and jazz sensibilities with a boundary-pushing edge that’s appealingly post-category. Her new CD b i o m e i.i on Obliquity Records is a vibrant showcase of her multifaceted artistic strengths. Commissioned by and recorded with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Gentile’s piece is a striking excursion into elevated form, unpredictable and engaging, with improvisation in the mix and an extra-musical layer that’s highly appreciated, of which more is said below. b i o m e i.i should thrill those passionate for the stated classical-jazz combo, but adventurous rock fans should also take note.
Kate Gentile has a prior CD, Mannequins, released in 2017 on the Skirl label, but the rest of her discography has been collaborative as a part of ensembles or in duo and trios. Much of the work includes pianist Matt Mitchell, with whom Gentile co-founded Obliquity Records. This includes the duo Gloatmeal and the co-led project Snark Horse; the latter had an eponymous 6CD box set issued in 2021 by Pi Recordings. They also play together in the Matt Mitchell Trio with bassist Kim Cass and in Find Letter X with Cass and clarinetist-tenor saxophonist Jeremy Viner.
Mitchell also plays on Mannequins, but not on b i o m e i.i, where the pianist is Cory Smythe. The International Contemporary Ensemble is 39 players strong, and the members heard on b i o m e i.i are, along with Smythe, Isabel Lepanto Gleicher on flute and piccolo, Jennifer Curtis on violin, Joshua Rubin on clarinet and bass clarinet, Rebekah Heller on bassoon, and Ross Karre on vibraphone and percussion. Rounding out the group, Gentile contributes drums and percussion.
Those adventurous rock fans mentioned above might’ve been expecting a guitar, but no. However, the disc’s opening track “drobe” features impressive bottom end that can be aptly described as heavy. Mostly though, the players execute Gentile’s composition with precision and energy that I expect will be up the alley (at least partially) of discerning lovers of prog-rock.
With improvisation part of the scheme, there’s a lot for avant-jazz enthusiasts to enjoy across b i o m e i.i, though it’s the brilliance of Gentile’s compositional framework that should really be emphasized. While there is a sweet tangle-bout of what sounds like free-improv at the end of third track “oergn” (one can’t be sure it’s improv without additional insight, but leaving it a mystery is just fine), and there are many instances throughout the set that register as open ended, encouraging spontaneous individuality on the part of the contributors, the robustness of Gentle’s writing is paramount here.
Structure and instrumentation do deepen the classical feel, particularly late in the record as “moons” gives way to “xooox,” but the energy level and the sharpness of the compositional twists make it clear the work is at the forefront of the New Music continuum (Gentile has played with, amongst others, Anthony Braxton, Tim Berne, Dave Douglas, God Is My Co-Pilot, Marty Ehrlich, Helado Negro ,and John Zorn).
The extra-musical element referred to in the intro above relates to what the promo text describes as “a backstory of invented meaning for the titles,” though in fact this post-compositional aspect is directly tied to how Gentile started out by making titles through purely alphabetical choices, i.e. invented words that just sounded and looked good.
These words actually played an important role in the shaping of the 13-movement piece, as Gentile describes a resulting atmosphere that was “very alien and abstract” and that there are “all kinds of weird relationships between the movements—they abstractly mirror the concepts of the letter content in the titles.” Sweet.
Just as sweet: the extra-musical part came after the music was composed, when the piece’s “dream logic” inspired Gentile to create definitions for the invented words, which are included as a glossary of terms, along with her illustrations and diagrams, in the CD’s liner notes. Gentile also painted a picture of a biome on an alien moon that serves as the album’s cover art.
This is what’s called added value. It’s also very sci-fi, which clearly reinforced my connection to prog rock. Gentile’s invented words also brought Magma to mind, which admittedly isn’t a very deep similarity as no words, invented or otherwise, are spoken on b i o m e i.i, but still. The heaviness at the album’s start flares up in “nionine” and comes back in full force late in the record in “drode,” supporting the “relationships” between the movements that Gentile mentions.
The interconnectedness of the piece as a whole is palpable. Talk about added value. b i o m e i.i is an exceptional release in what is poised to be a major calendar year for Gentile, as Find Letter X has a multi-disc release scheduled for autumn and a duo CD with guitarist Andrew Smiley is coming out on Obliquity July 28. Gear up.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A
