1A - Pieces (Album Review)

Michigan has a robust roster of jazz artists occupying the scene and taking their experiences and education out into the world. From collegiate music programs to the legendary roster of artists coming out of historic music centers like Detroit, jazz history has touched every corner of the Mitten. If you talk with artists in the scene, a guitarist named Olin Clark will no doubt creep into the conversation. Graduating from Michigan State University, Olin Clark was known to play in a variety of projects around the state, from the Rasta-funk project Speak Easy (who got to track an album for the legendary Lee “Scratch” Perry) to even laying down parts for my personal jazz project, Blushing Monk. Currently, Olin is living in Brooklyn with his long time friend and roommate, bassist Louie Leager, and during the shutdown last year they, along with drummer Adam Ray, created a new trio, Pieces, after working together the past couple years on different performances with artists like vocalist Richard Cortez and while performing two weekly gigs and a monthly showcase. As they emphasize in their liner notes, it is a “rare circumstance in the modern New York scene for a group to be able to perform together on such a frequent basis, and this consistency allowed [them] to develop a valuable sense of trust, both musically and personally. On these gigs, they pushed each other, forged an assured supportiveness as a unit, and grew to share a strong familiarity with each other’s musical vocabulary.” Their debut album, 1A, is a journey through the vintage and modern guitar-led trio repertoire, pairing original compositions with choice arrangements from a rich collection of classics.

The record kicks off with a disjointed, yet fluid expression of the trio’s dynamic with the tune “Dissociating for Beginners,” playing around with time, phrasing and harmony to showcase just how tight this group plays. The title track “Pieces” creates a beautiful tapestry of soulful blues with memorable hooks, building in energy right until the last note. In “Alli,” space is created for Adam Ray’s stellar drum solo, rolling off the energy afterwards to end the tune on a calm note that creates the perfect compliment to how the next track, “Texas,” starts with Louie Leager’s opening bass solo. This ballad has a beautiful sense of presence, no urgency in its delivery and soaking in every ounce of the composition, with added warmth from guest musician Lex Korten’s organ playing. After the last bit of the track fades, a lilting rhythmic figure in the bass creates an air of mystery, with soft brush work and ethereal guitar effects adding splashes of color to the texture in the tune “Long Walk Home.” The energy builds towards the end, eventually returning to the mysterious mood of the tune’s beginning.

Listeners of Pat Metheny’s catalog will instantly recognize this classic tune, “James,” expertly performed and perfectly juxtaposed against the previous track. Every member takes a turn with the form, ending in a joyous celebration of the melody, with Lex Korten adding Rhodes to the sound. “Interlude,” plays on some of the rhythmic and production ideas from various iterations of the reggae while continuing to add jazz vocabulary in the melody and the solo accompaniments (with Lex again providing Rhodes). “Bandit” centers the trio back into what most listeners think of when they hear the word “jazz,” swinging on a lighthearted tune with an infectious melody. Lex Korten returns on piano to pair with Olin’s guitar in the harmony and melody around “Matote,” a ballad that features Lex gliding beautifully over the changes in his solo. Finally, as a callback to their roots studying the jazz lexicon, the album ends with a rendition of “Without a Song” that allows each player one last gleeful expression of their artistry to celebrate such a well-crafted listening experience.

This record was a joy to listen to, particularly because of the joy and healing that went into making this record. The pieces that came together for this album cannot be understated: long time friends and bandmates move to New York from Michigan, they link up with another kindred spirit and begin playing together on a regular basis, quarantine solidifies their playing that much further through writing and performing original compositions for livestreams, and then they all collectively navigated the recording process during a pandemic together. 1A is for fans of Julian Lage and Bill Frisell, centering around guitar driven music with nuance and spirit codified in the strength of the unit. It ebbs and flows effortlessly between the intellectual and the interpersonal, delighting in the stellar musicianship between each member while embodying a spirited sense of delight in music making.

Support Pieces!
Website: https://www.piecestheband.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/piecestheband
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5nFlgHIggBLW5klqnawgO3?si=_aPXtjOtTWuqDQlNHaFB1w
Bandcamp: https://piecestheband.bandcamp.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChd8m_ywonZxf8Px9afO1Pg

Album credits:
Olin Clark - Guitar
Louie Leager - Bass
Adam Ray - Drums

Tracks 4,6,7,9 ft. Lex Korten - Keys

Recorded at The Honey Jar in Brooklyn, NY, October 24-25, 2020
Engineered & Mixed by Eva Lawitts and Chris Krasnow
Mastered by Dave Darlington (Bass Hit Studios)

Album Art by Veronica Mitrano
Additional Art by Sam Bennett
Additional Production by Kim Vi

Compositions:
1,2,8,9 by Olin Clark
4 by Louie Leager
3,7 by Adam Ray
5 by Olin Clark, Louie Leager & Adam Ray
6 by Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays
10 by Vincent Youmans

Check out my interview with Olin Clark on Mitten Backstage!