The surly looking gents in Heernt resemble a trio of indie rockers more likely to grace the pages of JazzTimes’ sister magazine, Harp. But CDs, of course, shouldn’t be judged by their covers. Drummer Mark Guiliana, also a member of bassist Avishai Cohen’s trio, plays with an authority that could suit jazz or thrash. He also contributes most of the far-flung writing. Bassist Neal Persiani moves easily between smooth accompaniment, distorted lines, and riffs low enough to make any set of woofers tremble. Zac Colwell handles a number of different reeds as well as keyboards.
While their musical chemistry is never in doubt, the results aren’t always consistent. Along with a slow, engrossing ballad (“Aaaahh…”) and punk-jazz blip (“Johnny2Rocketime”), the group assumes wacky ideas will sustain their music. A typewriter cleverly sets the title track’s rhythm, but once Persiani picks up on the monotone groove, all the trio adds to it is an unexciting keyboard drone and a backbeat. The repetitive tenor melody of “Nice” sounds like a practice lick and is just as enjoyable.
The suitelike “Brown Bird, Olives Sloth, Green Dragon” and jumpy “Pi~3.1415” reveal a group that can harness a sense of adventure and strong chops, but they need to tweak the writing before they get to the next level.
Heernt: Locked in a Basement
JazzTimes may earn a small commission if you buy something using one of the retail links in our articles. JazzTimes does not accept money for any editorial recommendations. Read more about our policy here. Thanks for supporting JazzTimes.
