Given the absence of any dramatic upheavals for some sixty years now, jazz, it would seem, has ceased to be the consistently transforming art it once was. This doesn’t mean, however, that jazz has stagnated. Hardly. A small but significant body of gifted young musicians have been drawing upon and extending the rich traditions that preceded them (specifically, in the case in point, the innovations of the late 50s and early 60s that cleared so many new pathways to explore). And they are making of the treasures they’ve inherited music that is elevated and solidly their own.
I’m speaking in appreciation of the guitarist and composer Charlie Rhyner’s “The First Second,” released in 2018. Rhyner is an exceptionally talented guitarist and composer who makes full use of his instrument’s resources and, equipped with a fine musical intelligence, plays with subtlety, nuance and surprise. He also knows how to swing and is very good at choosing his sidemen as well. Mike Robinson, bass, Graciliano Zambonin, drums, Imraan Khahn, alto sax and Dan Schnapp, Fender Rhodes, are all standout players themselves. Their interaction — the way they listen to and complement one another — reflects a musicianship of the highest order.
An exemplary representation of 21st century modern jazz, “The First Second” is an album I can wholeheartedly recommend.
Charlie Rhyner: The First Second
See, Understanding the Sound of Chaos: Free Jazz Explained
Also see, A Conversation About Cecil Taylor & Others with Robert Levin
Called by Nat Hentoff “a writer from whom I always learn something,” Robert Levin is a jazz critic whose work focuses on free jazz. Writing since the 1950s, he has contributed to Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, All About Jazz and DownBeat. He’s the coauthor of two books on free jazz and has penned more than 100 liner notes for major labels like Blue Note. They include albums by John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. His criticism and memoirs reflect long-standing, first-hand engagement with the musicians and movement he documents.
Levin is also a writer of short fiction and general commentary, with multiple published collections. See the About and Front pages.