Review: Luke Norris’s ‘Moment From The Past’

Saxophonist and composer Luke Norris has a penchant for experimentation, merging the acoustic and electronic to create interesting soundscapes. His release, Northernsong (ears&eyes, 2020), was highly influenced by Mike Baggetta, a collaborator of punk rock bassist Mike Watt. The follow-up, Moment from the Past (self-release, 2026) takes an even more exploratory path. The album is over two years in the making, with time spent primarily in post-production. For the record, Norris assembled the bass-drum tandem who work with both Sullivan Fortner and Nicole Glover. They are bassist Tyrone Allen and drummer Kayvon Gordon. The pianist, who plays both piano and Rhodes, is Dabin Ryu, likely a new name to many.  Norris also enlisted his roommate, Abe Nouri (Billie Eilish, David Byrne, and Carly Rae Jepsen), to provide synthesizers and post-production. Daniel Sunshine also contributed to the latter. Norris plays tenor and soprano saxophones as well as clarinet and synthesizers.

Moment’s quintet session took place live at Bunker Studio in 2023, featuring twelve original compositions by Norris. As the album’s title, song titles, and cover art suggest, the album is a peek into Norris’s childhood and youth. Sone tracks even incorporate audio from Norris’s old home movies. Moment was also shaped by records its leader listened to at the time of recording: John Coltrane’s classic quartet and English experimental electronics mastermind, A.G. Cook’s 7G (PC, 2020).

The flowing, ambient “Moment From The Past, Pt. 1” opens with Norris’s tenor enveloped in swirling synths. Ryu’s piano chords darken the piece toward the end. “Focus House” is even dreamier, with the saxophonist’s searching lines set over acoustic piano, Allen’s steady pulse, and meandering improvisations from Norris and Ryu, instilled with more subtle electronic tinges. The heady stuff has a spiritual element, but not nearly with the impactfulness of Coltrane, Pharaoh Sanders, or even the softer tones of Charles Lloyd.  Norris is highly lyrical with his gorgeous soprano in “Inner Silence,” as Ryu adds a spacey component on Rhodes. Given the album title that harks to the past, there are elements here and in “Circular”, another Rhodes-backed piece that evokes ‘70s jazz fusion. Post-production effects loom larger on this piece as synths weave nicely with Ryu’s resonating chords. Things becomes more agitated in the last section, spurred by Gordon’s rumblings.

Ryu returns to acoustic piano for the floating, melodious “Song For Today” where he comps nicely behind Norris’s improvised tenor excursions. “Moment From The Past, Pt. 2” serves as a mesmerizing interlude to “A Seedling,” with beautifully toned clarinet and Allen’s authoritative acoustic bass solo. The leader then delivers a series of rapid, fluid lines in the hard bop burner “Blue for Petruska,” as Ryu takes a percussive approach to the piano and Allen and Gordon stoke the fire below.

The sequence of “Outbreath, Parts 1, 2, 3” again presents the leader’s introspective language, enhanced by Rhodes and the many electronic layers that filter in. Norris is on the clarinet in three parts. He concludes with the third piece from “Moment From the Past,” this time hazier and dizzier, bringing the piece to a majestic finale from which dazed listeners may need a few minutes to recover. Odds are, though, that the listener will hit repeat for fear of missing something the first time through. There’s plenty to digest on Moment, and the investment time is incredibly rewarding.

‘Moment from the Past’ is out now. It can be purchased on Bandcamp.