Diatom Ribbons

Acclaimed as a free improviser and challenging composer in many settings from octet to solo piano, Westchester, New York-based Kris Davis accesses a whole other sound palette on *Diatom Ribbons*. She foregrounds the complex groove sensibility of drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and turntablist Val Jeanty while bringing disparate modernist piano influences to bear, from Cecil Taylor (that’s his speaking voice on the opening title track) to Olivier Messiaen (that’s him speaking on “Corn Crake”). The renowned Esperanza Spalding appears as well, her voice insinuating and highly effective on the snaky Michaël Attias piece “The Very Thing” and the spoken-word beat abstraction of “Certain Cells” (the poem is Gwendolyn Brooks’ “To Prisoners”). Trevor Dunn anchors it all on acoustic and electric bass, while guitarists Nels Cline and Marc Ribot and tenor saxophonists Tony Malaby and JD Allen enter and exit the fray. Ches Smith’s vibraphone lends a rich timbre and color to “Stone’s Throw,” while “Reflections,” by Julius Hemphill, serves as an extended-length finale—a showcase, like the opener, for the fiery tenor saxes.

Aided by Nels Cline, Marc Ribot, and Esperanza Spalding, the New York pianist and her band mix lyrical song form, turntablism, and avant-garde strategies in unusually fluid fashion.

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Pianist Kris Davis is a quiet person with a ferocious and bold artistic vision.