State Fête — the debut LP from the trio of Billy Martin, Matt Glassmeyer and Jonathan Goldberger — came out in the depths of winter. But it feels appropriate for this little bout of spring-preview weather we’re having in Nashville.
Glassmeyer, a born-and-raised Nashvillian, is the local connection to this ensemble, who recorded these pieces in New York a couple of years back. There are inspirations from several branches of the jazz family tree throughout the LP. Some moments brought to my mind the ominous and brooding parts of Bitches Brew and others the funk-schooled lyrical propulsion of the group Martin may be best known for: Medeski, Martin and Wood. But the blend is all the group’s own.
While improvisation is a key feature, you can tell it’s the kind where the players are very attuned to each other. The grooves are loose and contemplative. And the arrangements are full of intriguing sounds and textures whose sources aren’t always obvious, from Martin’s repurposed found-object percussion, to Goldberger’s live-wire melodic guitar runs (I’ll repeat Downbeat’s apt description of his playing as “McLaughlin-meets-ambient”) to Glassmeyer’s reedless saxophone and heavily modified electric piano (on which he’s somehow figured out how to bend the pitch).
It’s by no means a requirement, but I wouldn’t hate it if you could dance to more improv-centric groups like you can to this trio. You can follow Martin, Glassmeyer and Goldberger on Instagram for more on this LP as well as their various individual projects. Hear State Fête on your favorite streaming service and snag a copy via the Bandcamp embed. Publication day for this story, March 6, is the latest Bandcamp Friday, when the platform waives its cut of the proceeds from sales — a fantastic time to stock up on whatever titles are on your wishlist. (We have lots of recommendations.)
