Ojiik - Tetrasphere (2025) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. The Lord's Prayer
02. Remembrance
03. Minor Differences
04. On The Train
05. Tiny Hippos
06. On The Train (Alternate Take)

Seoul native ojiik, a fine emerging player on both alto and tenor saxes, assembles a powerful and versatile quartet on his concise, straight-to-the-point debut Tetrasphere (the name of the group as well). The vibe is original acoustic jazz in a New York vein, with Davis Whitfield on piano, James Robbins on bass and Adam Arruda on drums.

We’re not really “blurring genres” here. ojiik and the band swing hard on “Minor Differences” and “On the Train,” the leader steeped in an alto aesthetic indebted to Jackie McLean and James Spaulding up through Kenny Garrett. The compositional language is reminiscent of Joe Henderson, with Whitfield leaning into a McCoy Tyner influence.

On the opener, “The Lord’s Prayer,” the model is a rubato Coltrane piece like “Dear Lord” or “After the Rain,” but the directness and folk-like simplicity bring Albert Ayler to mind in places. If it’s harder than usual for me to tell whether ojiik is playing tenor here, perhaps it’s down to the integrated conception he’s developed on both horns.

“Remembrance” and “Tiny Hippos” skew a bit different and reveal another side of ojiik’s artistry. The former is flowing and lyrical, with some precise rhythmic elements in the form — an effective showcase not only of the band’s subtle interplay, but also Robbins’s acuity on bass as he takes the first solo.

“Tiny Hippos” is more unusual still, with its pointed melodic hook, oddly off-kilter rhythmic foundation, evocative harmony and brief spoken-word aside: “Tiny hippos / you can’t see ’em / but you can definitely feel ’em” — whatever in the world that might mean, my gut tells me that ojiik is onto something. — David R. Adler