By: Dr. Matt Warnock
Accomplish Jazz is a modern, intellectually stimulating and enjoyable album by Chicago born, and currently New York based, guitarist Jon Lundbom. For those who are unaware of Lundbom’s work, it straddles the fence between the modern avant-garde and the jazz tradition, in the sense of Monk and Mingus, with enough free-form improvisation thrown in to challenge even the most experienced jazz fan. With a solid ensemble that features virtuoso saxophonists Jon Irabagon and Bryan Murray, and supported by the rock-solid rhythm section of Matthew Elliot bass and Danny Fischer drums, Lundbom delivers an album that pushes boundaries without losing the listener along the way.
The compositions on the album will be labeled by some as avant-garde and neo-free jazz, but those who do so might by missing the point of Lundbom’s music. Yes, there are harmonically ambiguous solos, rhythmically adventurous comping and times when the musicians push their instruments to their technical limits, but what holds all of this together is the depth of the compositions.
Few modern-jazz guitarists today are able to blend harmonic, melodic and structural ambiguity with such a cohesive voice as Lundbom achieves in his compositions. These pieces will challenge the listener to explore new realms of sonic possibility, but without bashing them over the head with senseless noise. No matter how far out the tunes go there’s always a reason for new exploration and a linear sense that allows one to follow along with the musical narrative. Something that is often lacking in such ground-breaking music, and it’s a big reason for the album’s overall success.
Lundbom’s guitar work is as diverse as his compositions. During his solo on the opening track “Truncheon” one can hear elements of Frisell, Scofield and Marc Ribot threaded through his lines and phrases. Apart from his single-line improvisations, Lundbom’s strength as a comper shines through on tracks such as “Phoenetics.” Here, the guitarist steps on the distortion pedal and with his volume pedal creates a wave of sound that can only be described as the perfect accompaniment for that particular sax solo.
While Lundbom’s guitar solos, like his compositions, will challenge the listener to think differently about the instrument and the genre, his use of melodic fragments and melodic development are the glue that holds his lines, phrase and solos together. Without this strong use of melody his lines and ideas would float over the listener’s ears. Instead, they act as a rope that guides the audience through his highly creative and inventive solos.
Overall Accomplish Jazz is a solid effort for Lundbom and company on all fronts. It may be beyond the threshold of the traditional jazz fan, or the uninitiated, but it’s quite apparent that Lundbom isn’t striving to reach those audiences. This is a genre defying, barrier pushing album that will appeal to fans of artists like Marc Ribot, Ben Monder and Anthony Braxton.
Links
Jon Lundbom Homepage
Accomplish Jazz on Amazon
