Drawing from a wide palette—from blues to ragtime, stride to funk, go-go to gospel—and the experience gained from two decades of performing with saxophonist David Murray, pianist Lafayette Gilchrist delivers an arresting new trio recording that, as its title suggests, is about Now.

Lafayette Gilchrist
Now (Lafayette Gilchrist Music)
A review
A throbbing bass line, harmonies stretched and conflicted, a sturdy off-center melody, and a detonating drum kit open “Assume the Position,” the first track on disc one of pianist Lafayette Gilchrist’s latest trio recording, Now—with Herman Burnie (bass) and Eric Kennedy (drums). The track calls out the unjustified targeting of young urban black males by police with a justifiably aggrieved exasperation. Track one on disc two, “Tomorrow Is Waiting Now (Sharon’s Song),” with its pirouetting bridge and an extended outro that suspends and builds your expectation, offers a caress and a private celebration. Political commentary predominates on disc one. Disc two—the yin to the first disc’s yang—focuses more on personal, interior matters. All of the album’s 16 original compositions share Gilchrist’s gritty, streetwise romanticism, fervent spirit, and expansive improvisational appetite.

The harsh beauty of the first disc is highlighted on “Bmore Careful,” whose Latin tinge urges restraint, and the eccentric melody of “On Your Belly Like a Snake.” The political material is balanced by the swampy “Rare Essence,” which might put you in mind of Dr. John; “Say a Prayer for Our Love,” with its sonata feel and lovely arco bass; and “The Midnight Step Rag,” whose ragtime piano rides a second-line rhythm from Burnie and Kennedy.

On disc two, highlights include “The Wonder of Being Here,” which is all gratitude and maybe wants to be a pop tune (you can almost hear the string section); “Newly Arrived,” with its lyrical bass solo; “Enough,” which lopes along easily in its R&B feel and seems to be asking for lyrics. The interior material is balanced by the pointed “Get Straight to the Point,” which gets there firmly but quietly, as if saying, “This is the way it should—has to—be;” and “Can You Speak My Language?” which offers both a challenge and an invitation.

Gilchrist’s combination of an unapologetic bluntness and a richly romantic spirit in both his compositions and performances creates an engaging tension. His willingness to roam across a wide range of influences seeds surprises across the length of the album and each individual track, feeding his extended improvisations and capturing the listener’s undivided attention.

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© 2020 Mel Minter