None of the principals involved in RoundAgain need the boost in public profile this collaboration surely will provide. One-time bandmates Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade all benefit already from well-established careers under their own respective names and through various other collaborations on stage and in the studio. Yet for each of them, as with any sincere musician, there must lie an intrinsic curiosity about the nature of playing with others whether there is a shared history or not. It’s to the credit of these otherwise highly-visible players they are all humble enough to want to see what happens and what might they learn from a unified effort such as this Nonesuch Records project.
The foursome have had over a quarter-century, since the release of Mood Swing in 1994, to ponder those possibilities. Not to mention grow and explore their respective techniques on their chosen instruments, the art of composition and the various pros and cons of leading bands or assuming a collaborative role. As a result, on cuts such as “Silly Little Love Song” and “Right Back Round Again,” this quartet can utilize that growth and versatility even as it draws upon the rich jazz tradition. In those aforementioned instances, both tunes by saxophonist Redman, it’s difficult if not impossible to tell where composition ends and improvisation begins.
And those moments are representative of the approximately forty-three minutes playing time total. Compelling from beginning to end, the album plays like one uninterrupted piece of music, so there’s little or no dividing line between bassist McBride’s “Floppy Diss” or pianist Mehldau’s “Father.” even though the former is as playful as the latter is dignified. Such seamless transitions, the likes of which also populate “Moe Honk,” result in an extension of and embroidery upon the melodic and rhythmic motifs of the tune. And there is no melodrama in progressions like that, a factor no doubt reflective of these four men’s personal and professional bond(s).
In such a mutually nurturing environment, instinct(s) can become inseparable from intuition, as becomes readily apparent on this opener titled, appropriately, “Undertow.” Individually and collectively, this unit applies a supremely light touch to the music they create, but, even so, it’s difficult not to become engrossed in following the musicians individually to see how each becomes integrated with the rest of the group while in action; in that specific context, this rhythm section exhibits just as keen sensitivity to each other as their counterparts. This despite the fact McBride and Blade’s playing is more felt than heard, its visceral impact corresponding to the more cerebral machinations of Redman and Mehldau during something like this closer of the drummer’s “Your Part To Play. ‘
Seven originals ( three from Redman, two from Mehldau, and one each from McBride and Blade) may seem a paucity after so long an interval since the last group endeavor these men undertook, but in this case, it’s a surfeit of riches. Needless to say, as it may be, it’s worth declaring RoundAgain is a top candidate for ‘Best of 2020’ lists.
