Since the 1990s,
JJ Whitefield
has used various guises --
Poets of Rhythm
,
Whitefield Brothers
Karl Hector & the Malcouns
, etc. -- to explore varieties of funk and Afro-funk, melding and fitting them inside other genres including neo-psychedelia, Ethio-jazz, and global grooves.
Infinity of Nothingness
marks a new phase in
Whitefield
's oeuvre. He explores the spaces, textures, and harmonies of spiritual jazz with a full band that includes clarinets, flutes, saxophones, double bass, piano, electric keys, and guitars. Save for the reeds, double bass, and winds,
plays most everything else. His twin inspirations are
Pharoah Sanders
(circa
Elevation
and
Pharoah
) and
Sun Ra
(various mid- to late-'70s explorations).
That said, even with jazz as the backbone, the recording turns on it is own canny, circular grooves. Despite the spiritual jazz vocabulary, each track relies on a definable rhythmic hub. Opener "Nothingness" offers a two-note bass vamp as a rhythmic guide for baritone saxophone, strummed electric guitars, and layers of textured percussion. All three saxophonists softly engage in circular breathing.
's guitar gently solos over the horns and bass as cymbal washes color the backdrop. It segues into "Solar Breeze from the East." The set's longest cut at just over 14 minutes, it sounds like an avant play on the title of
Cal Tjader
's 1964 album
Breeze from the East
, and in particular its single "East of the Sun (West of the Moon)." Piano, bass, and percussion open up space for an improvising flute that soon cedes ground to a three-chord piano vamp. Accompanied by double bass, it gradually suggests the ghost of a melody that soprano saxophone and guitar frame speculatively, touching on blues, flamenco, and more. A gorgeous bass clarinet solo underscores the suggestion of an East Asian modality. It's followed by the other long cut, the nine-minute "Spectral Realms," which offers the clearest evidence of
's influence. The tune emerges from the ether as instruments randomly flit in and out. Before long, piano, rim shot tom-toms, and upright bass introduce a groove that the saxes excavate for a minimal modal melody. Flute and piano solos are gorgeous and inventive yet unintrusive. The set closes with the three-part "Infinity Suite." Just over eight minutes total, the first section circles around a dark, breezy groove introduced by harpsichord, funky drums, and upright bass. They all frame a vocal chant. Using drums, percussion, and piano, the band discovers a path between jazz-funk and modal jazz with glorious statements from the horns playing in unison and solo. The backbeat in part two extends the first section with electric piano and drum vamps before flutes, vibraphone, percussion, and bass flute wind in and carry it to its nadir. The cosmic final part is a wonderful exercise in focused abstraction that is neither artifice nor indulgence; it proves a fine summation of what has transpired over the previous 37 minutes and opens a door to further exploration. ~ Thom Jurek