Lawn Chair Society
Historically, most jazz albums have been documents of bands performing live in the studio. Since the 90s, however, the inclusion of electronics and sound design — influenced by pop artists and producers — has become more and more common on jazz releases. *Lawn Chair Society* employs the expanded sonic palette those techniques afford, but it also draws from another notion associated with pop music: the concept album. It’s hard to pin down a specific theme here, but pianist/composer Kenny Werner sequences the tracks to imply a sense of narrative. “Lo’s Garden” quickly grabs the listener’s attention with its squiggly horn theme, glistening electronics, and Werner’s eerie, impressionistic piano. “Lawn Chairs (and Other Foreign Policy)” recalls the mysterious ambience that imbues Miles Davis’s work from the late 1960s, but contemporary studio touches also shade the sound. Interestingly, the longest track, “The 13th Day,” forgoes any electronic coloring. Drummer Brian Blade and bassist Scott Colley inventively steer the band as Werner, trumpeter Dave Douglas and tenor saxophonist Chris Potter spin out compelling solos. Working as a duo, Werner and Blade create a mournful electronics-and-percussion soundscape on “Loss,” which segues into “Kothbro,” a track whose ceremonial solemnity brings the album to a sad but satisfying conclusion.
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