Review: Willy Rodriguez’s ‘In the Unknown (I Will Find You)’

Two years ago, drummer, composer, and bandleader Willy Rodriguez stunned improvised music audiences and critics alike with his leader debut, Seeing Sounds (self-release, 2024). Rodriguez was not yet a well-recognized force in creative music. His In the Unknown (I Will Find You) (Sunnyside, 2026) further cements that reputation.  The album is a deeply personal journey through loss, memory, and spiritual connection, rooted in his mother’s battle with cancer and her eventual passing. For music as free and unbounded as possible, Rodriguez enlisted the in-demand, to nearly ubiquitous, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, who had just endured a similar period of struggles and loss. He also tapped past collaborator, pianist and keyboardist Leo Genovese, comprising a bass-free trio. Spoken word contributions from Allan Harris and sound design by Chris Connors complete the lineup. The album was recorded at the famed Rudy Van Gelder Studios.

The album’s spirituality is captured in its title, with music being that unknown meeting place where Rodriguez could best recapture and express his mother’s memory. In the Unknown unfolds programmatically as Rodriguez recasts his thought patterns, the music moving from bracing to ethereal to intriguing explorations that shape this emotional journey. The first audible sounds are a subtle cymbal swash, followed by Harris’s incantation of “smile, smile, smile.”  An electro-acoustic soundscape develops with Genovese and Laubrock, stating the wandering melody of the title track, taking daring improvisations as the piece develops. Genovese moves from the primary voice to one which operates in the shadows. When Harris says, “I will find you,” the song structure is no longer intact, as if falling into the ether.

“The Perplexity of Eternity” features Harris’s spoken word overlaid against Genovese’s free-form piano with Laubrock spitting short bursts and flaring lines. Close listening here and in the pieces that follow never follows in a straight line, as memories form in fragments, dissolve, and sometimes reappear in different forms as rhythmic ideas or tonal motifs. The music is often challenging. But staying the course rewards the listener with unexpected discoveries, some resolved, others not. The spoken word over music is sometimes distracting and Harris struggles to be heard here.

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As anyone who has experienced a major loss can attest, the mind may pause but never really lets go of their loved one. “Curie’s Notes” features Laubrock at her improvisational best, showcasing why she is so sought after in experimental music.  Her statement segues into mysterious, electronic realms, seamlessly adjoining “A Room Full of Confusion,” which features a lengthy minimalist piano intro over a fuzzed-out background, suggesting the movement from clarity to fogginess. Laubrock enters emphatically, first with elongated lines, then shorter phrases, while Rodriguez’s gong-like strikes keep building the drama to a controlled, chaotic close.

“Where I Saw You Last’’ is a fascinating, disorienting, electronic buzzing six minutes, interrupted at times by percussive piano strikes and percussion.  The mind, perhaps mired in grief, can’t grasp a tangible memory. “(The Route)” might represent the first stages of acceptance as Laubrock sends up lyrical lines over Genovese’s piano excursions. Finally, “Follow the Light” pulls full circle. Acceptance has arrived gradually, signified by Genovese’s only use of the organ in the program, creating a church-like spiritual mood that’s not mournful but somehow reflective.

On In the Unknown, Rodriguez has charted an emotional journey, using music to bridge the gaps between memory and presence. It is an uneven path through grief’s seven stages. The album is destined to be one of this year’s best in improvised music. Count on it.

‘In the Unknown (I Will Find You)’ will be released on March 13, 2026 on Sunnyside Records. It can be purchased on Bandcamp. Stay tuned to our site for a conversation with Rodriguez on the album.

Photo credit: Adrien H. Tillman