Robinson, Jason - Tiresian Symmetry

SKU Rune 346
"Saxophonist Jason Robinson isn’t one to shy away from his cerebral side. On Tiresian Symmetry, the daring musician incorporates mythology, odd meters and complex, contrapuntal writing with abandon while leaving ample room for his brilliant bandmates ... to improvise freely and at length.... Robinson and his unorthodox band manage to inject abundant soul, humor and bravura into every track, in the spirit of bandleaders like Charles Mingus, Anthony Braxton and Henry Threadgill. “Of course, in the end there’s the litmus test,” Robinson explained. “The music has to sound good and feel good.”.... It’s a strategy that strikes a strong note of balance with the knotty ensemble passages that abound throughout the album and yet another thing to love about this uniquely compelling effort." – New York City Jazz Record

"The ensemble that Robinson assembled for the session is composed of several of modern jazz's most individualistic players...Robinson's compositions manage to draw a straight line through bop, Duke Ellington, Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy straight into the modern day with acute-angle swing, blues-bluster and memorable themes that seem to scratch at the back of the mind with familiarity without resorting to quotation or imitation....Robinson's pieces straddle the timeline in a way that sets each musician off on his own exploratory path." – Downbeat

On saxophonist/composer Jason Robinson’s polydirectional masterpiece Tiresian Symmetry, he’s gathered an extraordinary cast of improvisers to investigate and embellish the framework of his compositions. The music’s richly suggestive harmonic and metrical relationships elicit a wide array of responses, but ultimately listeners find their own sense of order and meaning amidst the sumptuous sounds. For Robinson, a capaciously inventive artist who has flourished in a boggling array of settings, from solo excursions with electronics and free jazz quartets to roots reggae ensembles and multimedia collectives, Tiresian Symmetry represents his most expansive and exciting project yet.

"I was attracted to the myth of the soothsayer, who tells the future even when it’s not welcome information," Robinson says. “But on a more technical level I was intrigued by the numerical relationships. Tiresias lived seven generations and spent time as both male and female, which gives you 7/2. The pieces I wrote for the album embody those numerical relationships in a variety of forms. Of course, in the end there’s the litmus test. The music has to sound good and feel good."

The nine-piece band features some of the most inventive and vivid players in jazz today:
Jason Robinson – tenor sax, alto flute, soprano sax
JD Parran – alto clarinet, contra bass clarinet, tenor sax
Marty Ehrlich – alto sax, bass clarinet, flute
Marcas Rojas – tuba
Bill Lowe - tuba, bass trombone
Liberty Ellman – guitar
Drew Gress – bass
George Schuller - drums
Ches Smith – drums

This group turns every track into a slippery aural odyssey full of surprising metrical shifts, thick harmonic passages and careening melodic lines. Essentially an all-star ensemble featuring a cast of artists who have each made significant contributions to the music, Tiresian Symmetry weaves singular musicians into a thrilling orchestra.

You can hear a track from the album here





Above is the promo video/electronic press kit for the album!
  • LabelCuneiform
  • UPC045775034621
Your Price $15.00
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