The Comet Is Coming released two great albums in 2019. “The Afterlife” came out towards the end of the year and is a smoother more direct record. “Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery” is the longer more eclectic record and, although they’re both great and play well together, I’d recommend the latter first.
Traditional Jazz Trios are usually made up of an upright bass, piano and drums. Occasionally in the past one of these instruments has been replaced with another, but it will always sacrifice something in the mix, loosing either the bottom end of the bass or the versatility of a piano for another instrument. The Comet Is Coming manage to get around this by replacing the piano with synthesizers, allowing Dan Leavers, their keyboard player, to cover the bass lines and still have the ability to fill out the music with chords and pads.
With Dan Leavers fulfilling the sonic rolls of two players in the traditional Jazz Trio, it frees up a space for Shabaka Hutchings guttural and often aggressive saxophone. He provides the guiding force to the tracks with a strong honking sound, backed up by his personal playing style.
Although they break the conventions of a traditional Jazz Trio in sound and style, the one thing they have in common is the high skill level of all the musicians involved. Max Halletts drums finish off the trio with complex and natural rhythms that both provide structure and bounce off the versatility of the other musicians.
With the undeniable quality of each musician and their ability to play as a group they could easily have stuck within a traditional Jazz Trio mould. But the introduction of synthesizers, which offer a greater pallet of sounds, and their clear interest in other genre means that The Comet Is Coming break through those confines.
But what sets them (and other modern) Jazz players apart from the Jazz Fusion bands of the 60’s is influence from the electronic genres that didn’t exist at that time. The repetitive catchy loops and grooves of dance music are implemented regularly in this album, allowing instant ear worms that hook you as the listener from the first time. They then break out of those sections with fast flowing solos that exchange accessibility with complexity.
The Comet Is Coming demonstrate the evolution of Jazz and what it can be. Introducing new people who will find their mix of genre more appealing. But keeping jazz fans like myself hooked by offering a new rich style that’s faithful to the original ideologies of impressive playing and musical experimentation, but without the baggage of history holding them back.
There have been several bands over the past decade that have played with the same ideas that The Comet Is Coming do. But few have achieved it so succinctly and enjoyably. Trust In The Lifeforce Of Deep Mystery is both an easy and complex listen. It’s full of emotion and ingenuity and manages to have them both without sacrificing either.
The Comet Is Coming released two great albums in 2019. “The Afterlife” came out towards the end of the year and is a smoother more direct record. “Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery” is the longer more eclectic record and, although they’re both great and play well together, I’d recommend the latter first.
Traditional Jazz Trios are usually made up of an upright bass, piano and drums. Occasionally in the past one of these instruments has been replaced with another, but it will always sacrifice something in the mix, loosing either the bottom end of the bass or the versatility of a piano for another instrument. The Comet Is Coming manage to get around this by replacing the piano with synthesizers, allowing Dan Leavers, their keyboard player, to cover the bass lines and still have the ability to fill out the music with chords and pads.
With Dan Leavers fulfilling the sonic rolls of two players in the traditional Jazz Trio, it frees up a space for Shabaka Hutchings guttural and often aggressive saxophone. He provides the guiding force to the tracks with a strong honking sound, backed up by his personal playing style.
Although they break the conventions of a traditional Jazz Trio in sound and style, the one thing they have in common is the high skill level of all the musicians involved. Max Halletts drums finish off the trio with complex and natural rhythms that both provide structure and bounce off the versatility of the other musicians.
With the undeniable quality of each musician and their ability to play as a group they could easily have stuck within a traditional Jazz Trio mould. But the introduction of synthesizers, which offer a greater pallet of sounds, and their clear interest in other genre means that The Comet Is Coming break through those confines.
But what sets them (and other modern) Jazz players apart from the Jazz Fusion bands of the 60’s is influence from the electronic genre that didn’t exist at that time. The repetitive catchy loops and grooves of dance music are implemented regularly in this album, allowing instant ear worms that hook you as the listener from the first time. They then break out of those sections with fast flowing solos that exchange accessibility with complexity.
The Comet Is Coming demonstrate the evolution of Jazz and what it can be. Introducing new people who will find their mix of genre more appealing. But keeping jazz fans like myself hooked by offering a new rich style that’s faithful to the original ideologies of impressive playing and musical experimentation, but without the baggage of history holding them back.
There have been several bands over the past decade that have played with the same ideas that The Comet Is Coming do. But few have achieved it so succinctly and enjoyably. Trust In The Lifeforce Of Deep Mystery is both an easy and complex listen. It’s full of emotion and ingenuity and manages to have them both without sacrificing either.
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