Ah, sweet cacophony! The wild and wacky, breakneck sonic adventure Nothing but Time is the second offbeat offering by improvisational alto saxophonist Jeff Pearring and his NYC based collective Pearring Sound – and sounds like a freewheeling musical expression of the bustling streets of Brooklyn where he’s based.
The ensemble’s 2017 debut True Story featured Pearring jamming creating live concert audio with Ken Filano (double bass, effects), Carlo Costa (drums) and his late mentor, renowned pianist Connie Crothers. This time, he hops into the studio for a stunning, anything goes romp showcasing the earthly connections and otherworldly spatial dimensions (via the “Sweet Sci-Fi Suite”) between the saxman, Adam Lane (acoustic and electric bass) and Tim Ford (drums).
With the exception of a soulful, swinging jaunt through Duke Ellington’s irrepressible “Blue Pepper,” the crazy coolness emerges from on the spot, overdub-free compositions created on two studio dates, 15 days apart. It’s not always fully tuneful, and more likely than not, you might have trouble keeping track of the divergent rhythms. But the trio more than compensates with biting wit, incredible playing and fearlessness that makes it a great experimental jazz date.
Hopefully, we’ll hear more from this same trio, but there’s no doubt Pearring will work his oddball magic no matter who he’s trading off-kilter fours with.