Trefoil: Ambrose Akinmusire, Kris Davis, and Gerald Cleaver at The Bop Stop

Trefoil: Ambrose Akinmusire, Kris Davis, and Gerald Cleaver
Bop Stop
Cleveland, Ohio
March 20, 2022

With a distinguished resume that includes his 2007 wins in both the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition and the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire still finds himself traveling under the radar of the general jazz listening public. Grammy nominations and appearances with a wide range of artists from Joni Mitchell to Kendrick Lamar have served to raise his profile, along with a rich series of critically acclaimed albums for Blue Note. Still, his chameleon-like musical character makes its hard to peg him down to any one style, and his latest adventure is no less exploratory.

Mid-March found Akinmusire leading Trefoil, an unorthodox trio, for a series of five dates that included an appearance at Cleveland's Bop Stop. Going sans bassist was an immediate clue to the type of improvisation Akinmusire would be dabbling in with this unit. Pianist Kris Davis was a sagacious addition to the group, knowing her penchant for probing music and for eschewing the use of chords in a typical jazz manner. Detroit native Gerald Cleaver also has a drumming style that fits tongue and groove with his cohorts, being able to conjure both swinging support and more abstract textures.

The initial large chunk of a generous hour-and-half performance was taken up by a freeform improvisation that lasted almost forty-five minutes. Akinmusire led the charge, flanked by Davis on his right and Cleaver on his left. Long, repeated trumpet tones contrasted with Davis' sliding scales and the rumble of Cleaver's mallets. Circular breathing allowed the trumpeter to continuously blow air through his instrument for an organic sound akin to wind in a thunderstorm. Davis skipped and skittered across the keys with a style not unlike that of the great Cecil Taylor, responding intently to the ever-changing musical landscape.

After Davis' alterations to the inside piano strings using paper, tape, and what looked like guitar picks, the second performance hit its stride with a more pronounced rhythmic pulse. At one point, Cleaver ushered in a pseudo bolero groove along with audible vocal interjections. Meanwhile, Davis plunked away in her own percussive manner and the tables seemed to turn as the pair spurred on Akinmusire's reactive lines.

The closing gambit got underway with Cleaver building his own solo statement over a repeated bass drum ostinato. This morphed into a cascade of runs up and down the piano, accompanied by a low-end rumble from Akinmusire blowing air through his horn again via circular breathing. He followed this with some declarative blasts a la Don Cherry and some funkier half-valve effects that nodded towards Lee Morgan. As the music reached its peak, Akinmusire cooled things down with a clarion call of repeated quarter note tones. The collective sound slowly faded to silence, much like the setting sun.

Far from the typical jazz vernacular, no doubt there were many celebrated and telepathic moments to be had over the course of the set. The appreciative crowd sat in silence and rapt attention. Nonetheless, this music was not for the faint of heart or those approaching it without an open mind.

Comments