Yeah No - Swell Henry
(Squealer)
As far as mailing addresses are concerned, yeah NO is a New York band, a product of the downtown scene that took root in the 90s and practically, to some, became the face of avant jazz in the US during the 90s. Chris Speed, though, and the trio of musicians who make up the core of the group, have roots that reach far deeper than the five boroughs. Speed grew up Seattle, playing, at times, with drummer Jim Black, who lends his talents here. Trumpeter Cuong Vu is also a product of Seattle, though he was born in Vietnam. Bassist Skuli Sverrisson, though he studied in the US and resides in New York, was born in Reykjavik and continues to be a part of Iceland’s unique jazz community. That Speed, Black, and Sverrisson are ¾ of Pachora, a band that melds modern jazz with Eastern European folk, is also an influence, it seems that informs much of Speed’s work, including, at times, the music on Swell Henry.
Perhaps what’s most initially striking about this disc, yeah NO’s fourth, is the ease with which the musicians interact. There’s nary a moment on Swell Henry that doesn’t flow quite smoothly. It’s jazz at heart, but not without a healthy influence of rock, folk, and, at times, even classical idioms. More than anything, though, it’s simply a beautiful album, with a deep pathos and harmonic interplay that easily win out over any qualities of the music that might fall a bit too close to muzak territory in another context. Speed and co. aren’t exclusively balladeers, but even when they improvise, or turn to something upbeat, the unison playing of Speed and Vu often rounds the edges of the music, erasing sharp corners and ragged notes. Sverrisson’s bass, even during the flurried solo in “He Has a Pair of Dice,” is always polite, sometimes mixed too low, but always a temperate anchor to yeah NO’s approach. Swell Henry is a seductive album, slowly alluring even when it shouldn’t be, and when Rob Burger adds his accordion, it’s almost unfair how much I find myself liking this. Really, I don’t quite get it, but Swell Henry is one of the most enjoyable jazz releases I’ve heard all year, and it doesn’t matter what guise the quartet plays under, there’s not a single misstep on this disc, a seriously beautiful release.
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