Short Reviews [Tomeka Reid Quartet - 2024 - "3+3"]

Cellist Tomeka Reid has made a powerful name for herself in the improvisational jazz scene, recording with many different artists either as band leader or sideman, and now she is back with the latest release for her quartet, which I believe is the third since the debut in 2015, all with the same line-up of bassist Jason Roebke, drummer Tomas Fujiwara and guitarist Mary Halvorson. There are three extended pieces, combining tunes and improvisation, which were written when Tomeka was artist in residence for the Moers Jazz Festival in 2022, and then recorded mixed and mastered over two days in August 2023. Sometimes everybody is in sync, with Tomeka closely harmonising with Mary (both bowed and unbowed) yet there are plenty of instances where the band are following their own direction to get to the conclusion. There are times when the free form jazz finds itself moving into areas which I would better classify as avant-garde progressive rock, which shows just how closely the boundaries can blur when music is at the extreme. Space is a hugely important fifth member of the band, and everyone understands there are times when they need to take a step back for the good of the overall sound allowing just one or two instruments to shine. This is not something which is recommended for anyone who wants their music to be mainstream with repeated melodies and hooks but is very much for those who want to be clinging onto the cliff face with their fingernails with no idea what is going to come next or even if they wish to continue the journey. It is uncompromising in the extreme and one can certainly understand why Tomeka was voted 2022 string player of the year by the Jazz Journalists Association and named a 2022 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow. How her and Mary manage to follow each other’s leads is amazing, defying convention and any sort of perceived musical wisdom. This is so out there that it may never come back and is all the better for it.