Drummer Chad Taylor is perhaps best known for his work as a sideman for the likes of James Brandon Lewis, Marc Ribot, Luke Stewart, jaimie branch, and many others, but his latest, Smoke Shifter (Otherly Love), is his sixth album as a leader. Those aforementioned names suggest an edgy, ’out’ approach. Instead, with Smoke Shifter, Taylor looks more to the inside, with a sound landing somewhere between the classic Blue Note albums of Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Chambers, and Andrew Hill, with modern sensibilities. It swings with dynamic solos, intricate arrangements, riveting bass lines, and, of course, Taylor’s driving rhythms. 

Although he made his mark in Chicago, Taylor has lived in Philadelphia for close to a decade and also directs the jazz program at the University of Pittsburgh. Seeking a group sound with different compositional voices, for Smoke Shifter, he assembled a quintet of artists from the City of Brotherly Love who would both perform and compose. They are mostly off the mainstream radar. He was introduced to them – tenor saxophonist Bryan Rogers, vibraphonist Victor Viera-Branco, bassist Matt Engle – by local veteran alto saxophonist Bobby Zankel or label co-founder Stephen Buono. Rounding out the group is Philly outsider, trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson (Steve Coleman, Ravi Coltrane), a late addition who does not compose any of the pieces.

Written specifically for this project, Rogers’ “Broken Horse” leads off with a muscular bass line, unison horns, and polyrhythms. Following an extensive head, the saxophonist-composer leads with low-register, brusque lines. Finlayson jumps in with high-energy, and Viera-Branco, who has been omnipresent throughout with his chordal comping, steps into the spotlight, as does Taylor to take it out. It’s a great opener, full of drive and motion. Engle’s “Avian Shadow’ features the leader laying down a metronomic beat akin to a hand-clapped rhythm with an element of deceptive simplicity. Taylor says it was one of the most difficult pieces to get “right” as it is a blend of the written and improvised. Be prepared for a rather spacey middle section where Viera-Branco’s vibes send up kaleidoscopic colors between the horns’ improvised solos. 

Taylor composed the beautifully flowing “Waltz for Meghan,” which features Rogers and Finlayson in lyrical form. With the vibraphone linking the two sounds, the harmonics glow brightly. The leader also composed the title track, a buoyant piece with trumpet and tenor in counterpoint above a swinging rhythm that never lags, even through the solos. It ultimately trails off like wispy clouds, especially for Viera-Branco, who takes us into another realm. Yet the angular motif holds it together as the quintet swings tightly. 

Viera-Branco composed the final two pieces – “October 26th” and “Paradise Lawns/October 29th.” The former has liliting, dream-like qualities, with resonating vibraphone standing out amidst the drawn-out horn lines. It segues directly into the latter medley piece, a feature for the leader’s solo. It opens with a lively cyclical vibraphone motif that disperses into free playing by the horns. Viera-Branco reverses the role of the horn here; the major melody is in the bassline with the low end placed on top with the horns in a supportive role. The polyrhythmic figure that runs through harmonically and rhythmically is the glue holding it together. It’s another that Taylor deemed very challenging to play, requiring lots of work to settle on an arrangement. This medley is intriguing; less accessible than the other tracks but indicative of the quintet’s far-reaching versatility. 

Smoke Shifter’s strength lies in its lack of any singular predominant style. There are elements of hard bop, post-bop, and free jazz. There are tonal and atonal elements. Off-center moments converge with more conventional ones. That may sound chaotic or confusing, but it’s coherent and engaging throughout.  

‘Smoke Shifter’ will be out on November 7, 2025 on Otherly Love Records. It can be purchased on Bandcamp.

Photo credit: Grady Bajorek