Keith Black
Pop: Andy Milne and Unison
Time Will Tell (Sunnyside)
Hamilton-born pianist/composer Andy Milne’s new album is simply a stunner. His trio, Unison, features bassist John Hébert and drummer Clarence Penn, who are joined by Ingrid Laubrock on saxophone and koto player Yoko Reikano Kimura at various points. They are both long-time colleagues of Milne and add a wonderful scope to the music.
Aside from the fact this is beautiful, complex and fascinating trio jazz, there is a tangible depth of emotion. Milne’s previous release acknowledged his (successful) fight with cancer. This one chronicles his search for his birth family, having been adopted as an infant. His wife’s gift of an Ancestry.com test changed his life, and he displays powerful feelings in a lovely gift of music.
The music itself is complex harmonically and rhythmically. Overwhelmingly introspective and meditative, the mood is still “up.” The track Lost and Found — Reprise can only be described as joyful. The other members of the trio offer their own compositions, such as drummer Penn’s Papounet, his children’s name for their grandfather. The opening track, Purity of Heart, has saxophonist Laubrock trading ideas with Milne within a shifting metre.
I was struck throughout with the sense of family that underpins the music. The “family” here is obviously the lost connection he has just found, but it includes the members of his band as they link ideas and mood in a way that confirms their affection for each other. It makes the album not only a treat to listen to but a confirmation of the power of family and shared appreciation for others. The listener simply feels better for having heard it.
The final track, Apart, offers an exquisite, gentle coda to the album. Highly recommended. ★★★★½ out of five
Stream: Beyond the Porcelain Door; Lost And Found – Reprise