MARCUS GILMORE - Journey To The New: Live At The Village Vanguard

Marcus Gilmore is a name that hardly needs introduction these days for readers who follow the contemporary jazz scene closely. Grandson of Roy Haynes, one of the most influential drummers of the last century, Gilmore has built his career by always keeping two dimensions distinct: on one side, the thematic and methodological legacy of his lineage; on the other, a firm determination to carve out a personal voice within modern rhythmic language. Over the years he has also collaborated with figures such as Chick Corea, Natalie Cole, Pat Metheny and Cassandra Wilson, and has developed highly compelling collaborative projects, such as the very recent “Trio Of Bloom” with Craig Taborn and Nels Cline; he has even had some of his contributions reach an audience beyond the jazz niche thanks to the soundtrack of Pixar's “Soul”. Yet it is with “Journey To The New: Live At The Village Vanguard” that Gilmore takes a decisive step forward, making his debut as the sole leader of a project bearing his own name.

The album, recorded live at New York's iconic Village Vanguard, a club that has shaped jazz history through decades of essential live performances (one above all, John Coltrane's), signals its intentions right from the title: a journey toward new sonic frontiers, yet firmly rooted in a historical context steeped in tradition. The opener, “Voltaire”, proves surprising precisely because, contrary to what one might expect from a drummer of Gilmore's stature, he doesn't assert himself with aggressive, dominant drumming: for the first seven minutes his presence is almost nonexistent, leaving Burniss Travis's electric bass and Emmanuel Michael's sculpted guitar lines to weave the opening interplay. Only gradually does the drumming enter the conversation, not to dominate but to build a subtle dialogue with the other instruments, particularly Morgan Guerin's EWI and Rashaan Carter's upright bass. The drumming, here as on the following “Interlude One”, stands out for its sophisticated touch and dynamics, more focused on micro-variations in timbre and on building a fluid rhythmic fabric than on mere technical display.

On the second track, the drumming indeed grows increasingly complex and rhythmically dense, yet it still favors conversation with the other soloists. It's with “Cape Stride” that the leader's conceptual vision comes through more clearly. Here Gilmore finally claims the solo space he had subtly withheld from himself on the previous tracks, with a solo that doesn't merely dazzle through virtuosity but shapes the overall direction of the piece. Gilmore's drumming doesn't erupt into a blast of noise, but builds a rhythmic discourse of striking articulation: dynamic shifts, carefully calibrated hits on kick drum, cymbals and toms, and a constant metric interplay that feeds the interaction with David Virelles's piano and Guerin's electronic horn. The result is a passage in which the drums steer the piece's progression through subtle shifts of color and tension, eventually paving the way for a broader collective expressiveness.

On the following tracks Gilmore's presence recedes to let his bandmates take full center stage. On “Hindsight”, written by Morgan Guerin, and on the cover of Geri Allen's “Open Handed Reach”, the only non-original piece on the album, the leader leaves the whole scene to the dialogue between David Virelles's piano and Guerin's electronic horn, highlighting the melodic depth and timbral elegance of his fellow ensemble members. On “Interlude Two” Gilmore re-emerges with a measured rhythmic contribution, subtly perceptible yet functional in sustaining the expressive flow of the other musicians before the full opening of the title track. “Journey To The New” represents the summa of the project's compositional and structural intentions: over fourteen minutes in which the form unfolds like a dramatic progression. The track opens with a drum solo of great impact in its first minutes, in which Gilmore builds an autonomous rhythmic discourse through dynamic variations, sharp contrasts and sudden tempo changes, guiding the listener's attention before the gradual entrance of the full ensemble. When the other instruments join in, the collective dialogue expands the initial material, transforming it into a layered, cohesive and thoroughly engaging sonic body.

Overall, the American drummer's work is an album that is absolutely, resoundingly compelling: a project that could easily have slipped into pure virtuosity, but instead reveals a mature and self-aware vision. The interpretive choices reveal an artist who isn't interested in mere displays of skill, but who knows exactly when to step back to let his colleagues shine and when, conversely, to assert his own "sticks" with full intensity. It's an album that will appeal not only to drumming or percussion-technique enthusiasts, but to anyone who appreciates jazz in its richest, most fluid and contemporary form.

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24/12/2025