Kirk Knuffke and Unique Drum-less Trio Shine on Expansive & Exploratory ‘Gravity Without Airs’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Sometimes the terminology can be misleading or unintentionally confining. Any description of cornetist Kirk Knuffke is usually preceded by “avant-garde,” even his self-descriptions. While Knuffke’s new project, this expansive double-disc, Gravity Without Airs, is filled with music that would fit that description, it also has more than its fair share of accessible, harmonically gorgeous music that those who shun most avant-garde music would enjoy. This is the kind of melodic, mysterious, intimate, and dynamic music that should have broader appeal beyond just avant-garde fanatics. The configuration of the trio is unique – a cornet, double bass, and piano. Bassist Michael Bisio and pianist Matthew Shipp are Knuffke’s collaborators in what may well be the only trio of its kind. Pocket trumpeter (really cornetist) Don Cherry led a trio with drums and bass and Knuffke has collaborated with TAO Forms (this label) head Whit Dickey ( also the co-producer here) on duo cornet albums. Those are the closest comparisons.


The title piece opens, a full twelve minutes from darky lyrical to the searching to the intense, setting the tone for what’s to follow. The configuration rather obviously allows for plenty of space in the music and the absence of drums gives it a chamber music quality at times, particularly in the lighter moments that comprise pieces such as “Between Today and May,” “Paint Pale Silver,” and “Today for Today.”  These are slower in tempo, filled with sustained notes and suspended passages.  Others such as “Birds of Passages” have distinct sections, some filled with fiery, unbridled intensity coupled with other more pensive approaches. It feels through-composed but is indeed improvised as are “June Stretched” and “Shadows to Dance,” the latter featuring brilliant arco work from Bisio. Calm sequences alternate with free-wheeling, inspired statements within compositions or in the segues. Melody is favored in some places while in others the trio is less attached, going instead for a ‘feel” and what appears to be a decided, spur-of-the-moment change in mood as exemplified in just one example by “Time is Another River” where Shipp seems to pour water on Knuffke’s inferno-like blowing, only to see Knuffke reappear after the pianist’s solo with some of the most tender passages on the album, which, in turn, they carry into “Paint Pale Silver.”

The absence of drums also allows Bisio and Shipp to shine more clearly and they are prominent throughout the ninety minutes of music, as evidenced in one example on the opening to Disc 2, where they create a rumbling sound that clearly reflects the title of “The Water Will Win.” Bisio’s pizzicato leads into “June Stretched” while Shipp takes a shimmering solo about two-thirds into the piece which builds in intensity as the bassist and leader join to bring it to a climax. Bisio and Shipp have an inspired dialogue in “Blinds,” another that begins casually, finds its explosive moments, and melts away, only to surprise us with a cacophonous ending. “Piece of Sky” is a group improvisation on the contemplative side, representing some of Knuffke’s most gorgeous playing across the two discs, that capture the entirety of what the trio recorded in the studio that day.  

This is as complete a listening experience as one could have – beauty, darkness, jubilation, intensity, contemplation, power and subtlety.  It’s all here in this remarkable recording, one that deserves listens from a broader audience beyond just those devoted to edgier material.

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