Reid, Tomeka - Old New CD
SKU
Rune 465
Tomeka Reid – cello
Mary Halvorson – guitar
Jason Roebke – bass
Tomas Fujiwara – drums
"Old New is bubbling with ideas, as well as an energy that feels too surging to be over-composed but too exacting to be improvised. A great listen." – Music Tap
“...a stimulating and mesmerizing work that showcases the superlative cellist's artistry at its best. Her exquisite instrumental prowess as well as her brilliant writing make this a singular record...programmed with an excellent sense of pace and point.” – All About Jazz
“Cellist Tomeka Reid has been on a serious tear lately; perhaps you noted her on the commanding new album by The Art Ensemble of Chicago, or with the chamberlike Artifacts Trio. Old New is Reid’s second album with [her] rough-and-ready .... If the title calls to mind an Art Ensemble rallying cry, “Ancient to the Future,” that’s probably not a mere coincidence.” – Nate Chinen / WBGO
The jazz polls might still list cello under the miscellaneous instrument category, where she just placed in the number one spot in the 67th DownBeat Critic's Poll of 2019, but in the hands of Tomeka Reid it’s an essential vehicle for unfettered jazz exploration. Old New, the second album by the Tomeka Reid Quartet, exemplifies why she’s quickly become a definitive figure on the 21st century jazz scene. As a composer, arranger, improviser, bandleader, and impresario, she embodies jazz’s progressive ethos. Crafting memorable tunes brimming with arresting textures and melodies, Reid creates music palpably connected to the tradition while recasting those sounds to meet her own expressive needs. Old new, indeed!
While Reid has recorded prolifically since making her debut on flutist Nicole Mitchell’s 2002 album Afrika Rising, Old New is only her second album leading her own band. It’s essentially a string band, an electro-acoustic hybrid in which any player might take on bass, melodic or rhythmic responsibilities at any given time.
“I wanted to have a string-centered group,” says Reid, who was recently voted Violinist / Violist / Cellist of the Year for the second consecutive time by the Jazz Journalists Association. “I wanted a harmonic instrument, but not piano and I wanted to go in a different direction. For this quartet I like Mary’s manner of using pedals in interesting and creative ways. You can hear right away that it’s her. I like that contrast with me being all acoustic in this ensemble.”
“What’s awesome as a cellist is that we can create a sound for ourselves,” said Reid. “We do have a history, but not the same kind as trumpet, saxophone and pianists for example, with hundreds and hundreds of predecessors. I’ve come to appreciate that a lot more.” With Old New, Tomeka Reid has staked another flag in the future.
- LabelCuneiform
- UPC045775046525