A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke cover

A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke

Released

This duo spends their 66 minutes documenting the flavor of gestures and photographing the inside edges of space. Most of the time, Iyer plays the ovoid to Smith’s X-Y axis, using piano and Rhodes and electronics to fill in the untouched corners while also leaving space for Smith’s trumpet pins. They manage to churn through a dozen approaches without too much burn, invoking Miles and Monk along the way but also turning the canon into a learning moment. Their lack of obvious signposts isn’t an imposition but the clearing away of anything unnecessary.

Sasha Frere-Jones

Recommended by

Suggestions
Shut Up and Dance cover

Shut Up and Dance

Orchestre National de Jazz, John Hollenbeck, Daniel Yvinec
Cuts Open cover

Cuts Open

Mats Gustafsson, Balázs Pándi, Merzbow
Edge of Time cover

Edge of Time

Norma Winstone
After the Fall cover

After the Fall

Jack DeJohnette, Gary Peacock, Keith Jarrett
Friendly Travelers Live cover

Friendly Travelers Live

Brian Blade, Wolfgang Muthspiel
Modern Jacobite cover

Modern Jacobite

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Tommy Smith
Explorations cover

Explorations

Bill Evans Trio
Boca Negra cover

Boca Negra

Chicago Underground Duo
Westbrook-Rossini cover

Westbrook-Rossini

Mike Westbrook