YAKIYA
(Tall Poppies)
8/10
This is hair-curling stuff. Bass trombonist Adrian Sherriff, bass guitarist Jonathan Dimond and drummer Adam King share a keen interest in rhythmic complexities, whether by way of superimposing one rhythm atop another or incorporating metric modulation, intricate cycles or other options. The detailed liner-notes provide explanations of these convolutions, or you can ignore the mathematical underpinnings and simply immerse yourself in music that is still groove-based, but that is in constant flux.
Collectively they draw on wide-ranging influences including the Carnatic music of South India, flamenco and the polyrhythms of West Africa and Zimbabwe. The three players bring not only a jazz improviser’s mentality to bear in exploring and incorporating the assorted rhythmic devices, but also the precision of, say, a string trio. Among the most startling creations is Dimond’s Mod Times, which exemplifies just how engaging the melodic content can be while the grooves twist and jolt. And therein lies the point: the music is so heavily crafted from intellectual concepts that it could be forbidding, but in fact it is endlessly fascinating.