Massive Threads

Canadian-born pianist and composer Kris Davis is highly regarded by fellow musicians and followers of New York’s jazz scene. She’s a member of the intriguing trio Paradoxical Frog (which also includes tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Tyshawn Sorey) and has recorded several albums of her own, including 2011’s *Aeriol Piano*, where she appeared alone at the keyboard. 2013’s *Massive Threads*, her second solo effort, is excellent. These pieces clearly have links to both late 20th-century classical composition and non-idiomatic improvisation. “Ten Exorcists” opens the album with an insistent torrent of often-dampened tones, which evoke minimalism and emphasize the percussive side of the piano. The title cut moves energetically from the upper to lower registers; later, heavy block chords sound out before the track comes to a quiet end. The only non-original here is a version of Thelonious Monk’s “Evidence,” where chords are often suddenly cut off. “Leaf-Like” is marked by jabbing, stop-start lines, while the spare closer, “Slow Growing,” hovers at the mysterious edge where tonality and atonality meet.

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