On
Corridors, his third
Blue Note leader date, drummer/composer
Kendrick Scott heads up a trio for the very first time. His compositions here reflect on the many changes imposed on humanity by the COVID-19 pandemic. He wrote eight of these nine tunes to fulfill a commission from The Jazz Gallery's 2020 Artist Fellowship Series. As he considered his writing,
Scott paced the long corridor of his New York City apartment and wondered what other people were doing during the pandemic. The separation and solitude imposed by the global crisis inspired
Scott to pare down his compositions. He left his longtime quintet
Oracle on the sidelines in favor of a sax/bass/drums trio with bassist
Reuben Rogers and saxophonist
Walter Smith III. The reason: He wanted to reflect the solitude and emptiness of the streets, with no chords or lush interludes, only stark immediacy.
Opener "What Day Is It?" is introduced by a strummed
Rogers bassline followed by rolling snares and cymbals from
Scott before
Smith III enters on the melody and, despite its knotty cadence, drives the band into swinging like mad. On the title track, the trio move at once in a directed unison, reflecting on three unique tonal bodies as
Rogers delivers a lyric intro and
Scott dances behind him.
Smith III joins in, articulating the blues and quoting from "The Look of Love" as the rhythm erects subtly dramatic tension behind him. "A Voice Through the Door" is a gorgeous ballad. Introduced as a solo by
Smith III in waltz time,
Scott adds halting brushes across snare, tom-toms, and hi-hat as
Rogers delicately appends and extends the lyric melody. "One Door Closes" is a 40-second multi-tracked saxophone solo whereas "Another Opens" spends just under a minute as a mournful, song-like bass solo. The only non-
Scott tune here is a reading of
Bobby Hutcherson's seminal "Isn't This My Sound Around Me," a sultry, shimmering exercise in lyric post-bop with engaging interplay between
Scott and
Rogers instigated by
Smith III's imaginative, canny melodic invention. "One Door Closes, Another Opens" combines the two solo interludes with
Scott's muted kick drum, tom-toms, whispering cymbal washes, and wordless male vocals. Before it ends,
Rogers brings out his bow, adding texture and dimension to
Smith III's dirge-like blues. "Your Destiny Awaits" is a wonderful exercise in labyrinthine, slightly out, swinging post-bop. Closer "Threshold" commences as the bandleader constructs a well-textured solo using the drum kit's full dynamic range. It expands and contracts in pace, while the circular melody remains if not static, then economical.
Rogers' bass solo frames the saxist's circular lyric phrasing in alternately spaced cadences.
Corridors carries
Scott's musical journey through the pandemic to account for both contemplative solemnity and restless, frenetic energy driven by fear, panic, and resolve.
Scott's compositions impressively build on individual strengths to serve the trio's intimate communication and canny interplay. ~ Thom Jurek
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