Spirit Fingers is a group that shuns the term supergroup, feeling that it puts limitations on their desire to improvise collectively. Peace follows the band’s eponymous 2018 debut and the group is intact excepting Max Gerl now replacing original bassist Hadrien Feraud. Leader and keyboardist Greg Spero has been mentored by Miles Davis alumni Robert Irving III and Herbie Hancock and he brings a strong reputation, being hailed by Quincy Jones, among others. His other two formidable bandmates are formidable bandleaders as well. Dallas drummer Mike Mitchell has his own album on this Ropeadope label, and he was a child prodigy who began drumming at the age of 2 and has since acquired the moniker Blaque Dynamite. Italian guitarist Dario Chiazzolino is one of the country’s and world’s for that matter, leaders on his instrument. The debut was co-produced by Makaya McCraven, who returns in that role.
Spero tours as pianist for pop singer Halsey and is well steeped in electronics. With the platform of fusion, he touches on pop and hip-hop elements. It may also lead to a fondness for vocalists as Judi Jackson sings on four tracks. The other notable guests include saxophonists Braxton Cook (“Spirt Food”) and Greg Ward (“Cokes with Gregs”), bassist Bubby Lewis (“Nolo”) and drummer Jonathan Scales (“Lamelia”).
The sound traces in part to early classic fusion bands like Chick Corea’s Return to Forever and some of John McLaughlin’s work but the elements of hip-hop, pop, and dazzling polyrhythms make for a more contemporary stew. The piano and drums often play at different tempos. Maybe it’s just in their blood as the former name of the band was Polyrhythmic. The other aspect of their sound that’s very appealing is Chiazzolino’s clean guitar tone and his interplay with Spero whether in unison, counter melody, and just chording. Mitchell’s powerful drumming is impressive too. All four members can fire off flurries of notes but seem to always have a sense of where they are headed. They avoid the clichés that marked fusion of the ‘70s and ‘80s keeping their sound fresh throughout and interspersing guest spots to keep it even more varied.
The prominent guest here is Judi Jackson, an emerging young vocalist who hails from Virginia and now resides in London. Jackson was discovered by Wynton Marsalis at the now-famous Jefferson Center in Roanoke, VA. He sent her a box of music that had Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nina Simone, among others. You can hear that same youthful early Billie in Jackson’s voice as she sings on “Goodbye,””London Blues,” “I’ll Be Around,” and “Lest We Forget.” She has an astounding range and immaculate pitch. She’s got that ‘it’.
Jackson has released a 2017 EP, Blame It On My Youth. At 16 she opened for Mavis Staples and at 18, at university on a scholarship, she teamed with Snarky Puppy to record her song, ‘Only Love’, for their Grammy-winning 2013 album, Family Dinner: Volume One. Then came a job at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, and a residency in Doha, Qatar, where she met her British manager. She has been singing at tribute shows in London and released a full album in 2018 Live in London, backed by an 11-piece band. She has a studio album in the works to be released this year. Get used to her name. She is going places.
The opener “Nails’ has several rubato sections delivered principally by Spero and Chiazzolino, with Mitchell creating a whirlwind of beats. “Spirit Food” finds Mitchell skittering on his traps behind the leads of guest altoist Braxton Cook while Spero and Chiazzolino comp and add fills. Chiazzolino leads into the reflective meandering “Kalashniknov” before Spero’s acoustic piano engages in conversation with the rhythm section before the guitar re-enters with a series of melodic lines.
”Goodbye,” already released as a single, is the first tune on which we hear Jackson. Mike Mitchell lays out on the kit with his signature loose precision, with Spero’s keys dancing around Judi’s lamenting vocals and intriguing echo effects. Yes, there are faint blues motif’s in “London Blues” but Jackson’s scatting skips it along blissfully, as both Gerl and Chiazzolino take expressive economical solos. “Earthbound” gets as close to a ballad as any piece as Spero and Chiazzolino deliver beautiful notes and chords. The up-tempo “Cokes with Gregs” features emerging saxophonist Greg Ward on the soprano for a steady, exciting ride.
”Cross Twine” is yet another example of the players at times seemingly playing separate melodies and separate tempos but somehow making it sound cohesive as Mitchell does his staccato drumming. Here, as on other tunes, Spero and bandmates calm things down with a hushed, fading close. Drummer Jonathan Scales steps behind the kit for “Lamelia,” becoming more intense, in the mode of Mitchell, as the tune unfolds. Judi Jackson returns for two more: sounding angelic on “I’ll Be Around” and gorgeously reverent on the ballad “Lest We Forget,” with some layered vocals and spoken word, as the band has its most sensitive backing. “Saltwater” begins ethereally and then meshes tasteful guitar with shimmering piano, bringing this remarkable set of music to a sublime, dare we say, peaceful close.
This is a stunning effort. Don’t let the word fusion dissuade you if you are on the other side of it. This is just beautiful music, filled with the telepathic interplay among the members, augmented by terrific guest spots. It’s a “must hear.”
