JASON KAO HWANG'S HUMAN RITES TRIO, Second Life

Few avant-garde jazz artists navigate the delicate boundary between beauty and sonic turbulence as fearlessly as violinist and composer Jason Kao Hwang. On Second Life, his latest collaboration with longtime musical partners bassist Ken Filiano and percussionist Andrew Drury, four expansive compositions unfold like unpredictable journeys through tension, grief, agitation, and fleeting moments of grace. The trio’s music can be abrasive, unsettling, and fiercely unpredictable, yet its greatest power emerges from the contrast between explosive improvisation and passages of profound tenderness. As in Hwang’s previous projects, Scott Currie’s insightful liner notes provide valuable context for an artistic vision that resists easy categorization.

The trio’s remarkable chemistry reflects more than two decades of playing together, but familiarity never diminishes the element of surprise. Hwang’s violin cries, scrapes, and soars across a constantly shifting rhythmic landscape, moving from long, mournful tones to rapid-fire figures and piercing, almost vocal squeals. Filiano alternates between dark, resonant bowed passages and nimble, sharply articulated pizzicato lines, while Drury expands the percussion palette far beyond a conventional drum kit. Gongs, bells, bowls, and other found objects introduce metallic shimmer, earthy rumbling, and mysterious, almost ritualistic textures.

The opening “Galaxies Twist Under Before It” establishes the trio’s combustible energy with a hypnotic bass pattern and understated percussion before Hwang launches into increasingly feverish violin improvisations. Drury responds with thunderous rolls and tribal-like rhythms, creating a thrilling call-and-response between his percussion and Hwang’s feverishly darting phrases. Just as the music seems poised to spin completely out of control, the intensity recedes, revealing a quieter, more reflective dialogue between bass and violin. These dramatic changes are central to the album’s appeal: volatility gives way to stillness, only for the tension to gather again.

“What to Keep, What to Let Go” explores a more contemplative emotional landscape. Hwang’s plaintive violin initially floats above brooding bass and delicate cymbal work before bursting into animated, high-register phrases. Drury’s circular percussion patterns and Filiano’s shadowy bowed-bass passages deepen the atmosphere, while a later, more lyrical violin melody offers a glimpse of aspiration amid the surrounding uncertainty.

The title track pushes further into experimental territory, juxtaposing eerie bowed strings, resonating gongs, and jagged percussion with sudden bursts of frenetic ensemble interplay. At times, the sounds seem to collide rather than resolve, but the trio’s intuitive responses create a compelling sense of collective exploration. Closing piece “Ricochet” moves between spacious, almost weeping violin passages and explosive exchanges of scratchy string textures, booming drums, and dark, rumbling bass. Its restless momentum captures the group’s ability to turn apparent disorder into a vivid musical conversation.

Recorded in 2024 and released by True Sound Recordings in 2026, Second Life deepens the Human Rites Trio’s exploration of uncertainty and renewal. Hwang’s music demands attentive listening, but its emotional contrasts and fearless interplay reward the effort. This is experimental jazz that embraces the unpredictable, finding brief passages of fragile beauty amid the restless interplay and swirling chaos.