Description
I first saw Heart of the Ghost in Ypsilanti, MI in July of 2018 having heard of them through mutual friend and percussionist Sam Lohman. Immediately, I was floored by their unapologetic, aggressive and bass heavy take on classic free jazz music.Their sound is challenging and cerebral yet contains distinct ebbs and flows of sound that is difficult to ignore. Bassist Luke Stewart is ubiquitous on the Baltimore/DC improvised music scene both as a solo artist and as a member of Trio OOO (with my buddy Sam), New Artists Orchestra, Irreversible Entanglements and others. Luke has already done more in his short time as a performing bassist than most musicians do in entire lifetimes. His thoughtful and challenging approach to stand up bass playing is at once mesmerizing and overwhelming. Multi-instrumentalist Ian McColm graduated from the Oberlin Music Conservatory and experiments with a wide variety of sounds both internationally and in and around the DC area and releases music under his IGM moniker. Ian brings a nuanced set of sounds into an otherwise hulking mountain of sonic chaos. Alto saxophone player Jarrett Gilgore, though unassuming in person, takes a blistering approach to the sax, leaving audiences feeling as if they have been hit with a pot of boiling water. In addition to Heart of the Ghost, he plays in Triage with Noah Jarrett and Kevin Ripley, Anthony Pirog’s Body Puzzle, Xenga. Baltimore Afrobeat Society, Chris Pumphrey Sextet, Jaimie Branch’s Bombshelter. -Pete Larson (Dagoretti Records)