Matt Aronoff - Morning Song (2022) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Morning Song
02. El De Lun
03. Bass Interlude
04. Hodgman
05. June 25th
06. Blue Quokka

Recorded in 2018 in front of a live audience at The Nest, Morning Song serves as the culmination of Aronoff’s weekly, late-night jam session in Brooklyn. A highly sought-after acoustic and electric bassist, Aronoff is joined by some of today’s most compelling voices: saxophonist Jason Rigby, pianist Yago Vazquez, and drummer Henry Cole.

Dedicated to his father, Aronoff began writing these compositions shortly after he learned of his father’s cancer diagnosis. From uncertainty, fear and disappointment to acceptance, serenity and joy, the composer’s myriad of emotions can be heard on each track. “I wanted to create a juxtaposition of peacefulness with unrest and jovial melodies up against unstable harmonies and structure,” explains Aronoff. Not surprisingly, Aronoff gravitated towards his bandmates—Jason Rigby, Yago Vazquez, and Henry Cole—who also take a holistic, Zen-like approach to their craft.

Morning Song sits on the exploratory end of contemporary jazz mainstream. The opening eponymous track pays homage to the composer’s father, the ultimate optimist. “My father never wasted time overthinking things and always saw the best in people, which is what I aspired to do with this song. I wanted to embody that idea and not be too clever, but instead evoke a creative, positive spirit with this in mind.” El De Lun begins as a delicate song inspired by Debussy’s harmonic language. It showcases the saxophone’s range and expressive nature as it builds to a fiery and explosive outro that truly showcases the interactive and simpatico nature of the band. Aronoff takes a moment for himself on the album with Bass Interlude, a three-minute patient, melodic and virtuosic piece linking El De Lun and Hodgman.

Hodgman is an ambulatory and meditative piece that was inspired by the minimalistic approach of Steve Reich’s Four Organs and the loquacious, “windy-road" approach of writer/comedian John Hodgman. The band patiently builds in intensity using the songs irregular bar lengths and harmonic resolutions to always keep the listener on the edge. June 25th was composed with the intention of using the contrasting ideas of a somewhat quirky ostinato bass line under dense harmony and a rather playful melody. Rigby’s and Vazquez’s solos truly shine as Aronoff and Cole’s rhythmic connection constantly stir the pot. The album’s closer Blue Quokka is an up tempo blues named after the playful yet mischievous Australian wallaby aka the world’s happiest animal.

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