{"id":11587,"date":"2025-11-24T00:38:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T06:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=11587"},"modified":"2025-11-25T00:38:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T06:38:57","slug":"simon-willson-feel-love-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/simon-willson-feel-love-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Sim\u00f3n Willson&#8217;s &#8216;Feel Love&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In many ways, the burgeoning improvised music community in Brooklyn resembles downtown New York&#8217;s loft movement of the \u201870s. But it differs in one important way: Brooklyn seems to have an even stronger sense of community, with musicians often collaborating on each other\u2019s albums. Such is the case for Chilean-born, Brooklyn-based bassist and composer Sim\u00f3n Willson and his compositionally strongest album to date, <em>Feel Love<\/em> (endectomorph, 2025).&nbsp;Willson, though a relatively new bandleader, has appeared on over forty records on both major and niche labels working with artists that include Dave Douglas and Ethan Iverson. But for <em>Feel Love<\/em>, he turns to old friends; his fellow Brooklynites: tenor saxophonist Neta Ranaan, pianist Evan Main, and drummer Kayvon Gordon. Another member of their tightly bonded community, Kevin Sun,&nbsp; produced the record. The quartet members all played on Willson\u2019s previous album, <em>Bet: Live at Ornithology<\/em> (endectomorph, 2025). Both Willson and Gordon also played on Ranaan\u2019s <em>Unforeseen Blossom<\/em> (Giant Step Arts, 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A deeply personal album, <em>Feel Love<\/em>, explores the leader\u2019s major life experiences including his journey leaving Chile for the United States at eighteen, his Catholic upbringing, and the concept of \u201chome\u201d as both a birthplace and chosen destination. He approaches his topics from the perspective that love does not solely refer to relations between people but also as a reference for the activities and causes that make life worth living. &nbsp;At times, the album is deeply reflective, but retains its relatability and a power to transcend cultural boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_Wqsq86NSdM4\"><div id=\"lyte_Wqsq86NSdM4\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Wqsq86NSdM4\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Wqsq86NSdM4\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Wqsq86NSdM4\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mid-tempo \u201cRepent\u201d &#8211; Willson\u2019s reflection upon his Catholic education- starts with a melancholic section reflective of an inherent feeling of guilt brought by the faith. Intriguing harmonic tones segue the piece into feeling of hopefulness, representing grace. The melodies taking these shapes through intense playing from Ranaan and Main while Willson and Gordon stir up a robust underfooting.&nbsp; There are so many pauses between sections on the piece that one\u2019s often unsure where the final notes lies. The quartet ultimately vigorously steers into \u201cLeave Behind\u201d to examinee the choices made when leaving a comfort zone. Ranaan and Main deliver potent turns. In accordance with these themes, \u201cLong Distances\u201d conveys the tough emotional territory brought on by Willson\u2019s three-month separation from his now-wife. The dialogue between Ranaan and Main on it reads like a tearful phone call.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_GTYVyG7_ta4\"><div id=\"lyte_GTYVyG7_ta4\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/GTYVyG7_ta4\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/GTYVyG7_ta4\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/GTYVyG7_ta4\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The title track incorporates hints of the Chilean <em>cueca <\/em>rhythm. Though subtle, the bassist\u2019s expressive intro demonstrates his effort to meld his cultural heritage into the contemporary jazz language.&nbsp; \u201cFeel Love\u201d also appeared on the previous live album without Ranaan, but her counterpoint to Main\u2019s piano luminates this studio take. \u201cShades\u201d begins with Main\u2019s dark chords and an unhurried beginning that blossoms more brightly when Willson takes a brief solo. It lays down a sturdy bassline for a monstrous solo from Ranaan, complete with pauses, fierce clusters, and marked unpredictability.&nbsp; The reflective \u201cLife\u2019s Lemons\u201d furthers the level of harmonic complexity heard in the previous pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJog\u201d preciously appeared on <em>Bet: Live at Ornithology. <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.makingascene.org\/simon-willson-bet-live-at-ornithology\/\">This author previously described<\/a> the older rendition as being \u201cdesigned to mirror the rhythms of \u2026 running at a leisurely pace [as] alternate sustained sequences with staccato passages [] represent breathing and movement in a vigorous section mid-piece, while the bass-drum tandem delivers a mostly steady cadence.\u201d The major difference between the two versions lies in Gordon\u2019s drumming. Live, he is freer and more precise, whereas in the studio, things more slowly build toward a finish. The closer, \u201cShow You Out,\u201d swings hard, with its own share of noteworthy moments. After the muscular head, Main is left alone to improvise freely, Ranaan delivers a series of choppy statements before catching fire.&nbsp; After a solo by Gordon, the reprise of the head is dynamic and just as brief as the opening version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_2DBe0t9s8zs\"><div id=\"lyte_2DBe0t9s8zs\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/2DBe0t9s8zs\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/2DBe0t9s8zs\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/2DBe0t9s8zs\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One can detect substantial growth in Willson\u2019s compositional approach from his debut, <em>Good Company<\/em> (Fresh Sound, 2023) to <em>Feel Love. <\/em>The chemistry of his now seasoned quartet is palpable. Most listeners will likely not read into every piece the emotions and narratives Willson intends to convey, but marvel at the tunes nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>&#8216;Feel Love&#8217; is out now on Endectomorph Music. It can be <a href=\"https:\/\/simonwillson.bandcamp.com\/album\/feel-love\" title=\"\">purchased on Bandcamp.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo credit: Luke Marantz<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In many ways, the burgeoning improvised music community in Brooklyn resembles downtown New York&#8217;s loft movement of the \u201870s. But it differs in one important way: Brooklyn seems to have an even stronger sense of community, with musicians often collaborating on each other\u2019s albums. Such is the case for Chilean-born, Brooklyn-based bassist and composer Sim\u00f3n [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":11588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":23,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Review: Sim\u00f3n Willson's 'Feel Love'","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[1425,1421,1419,1418,1424,1420,1423,1417,1422,1426],"class_list":["post-11587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-album-release","tag-album-review","tag-bassist","tag-brooklyn-music-scene","tag-brooklyn-musicians","tag-composer","tag-improvisation","tag-improvised-music","tag-jazz-quartet","tag-musical-collaboration"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/simon-led-1-of-4_orig.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-30T","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11542,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-thomas-morgan-around-forest\/","url_meta":{"origin":11587,"position":0},"title":"Review: Thomas Morgan\u2019s \u2018Around You is a Forest\u2019","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"November 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"As evidenced by two recent collaborations with Wadada Leo Smith, Jakob Bro\u2019s Loveland Music, is releasing some of the most interesting improvised music recently. Yet, also on the label comes Thomas Morgan\u2019s Around You is a Forest (Loveland, 2025), which may well be the most unique album made in a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_2508.jpg?fit=759%2C506&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_2508.jpg?fit=759%2C506&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_2508.jpg?fit=759%2C506&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_2508.jpg?fit=759%2C506&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10397,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-consentrik-quartet\/","url_meta":{"origin":11587,"position":1},"title":"Review: Nels Cline&#8217;s &#8216;Consentrik Quartet&#8217;","author":"Brian Kiwanuka","date":"April 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Considering guitarist Nels Cline's history, it's no surprise that the music of the Consentrik Quartet occasionally has shades of rock. \u201cSlipping Into Something\u201d starts subtly before bursting into a drum-driven groove fit for a rock song. Tom Rainey (drums) and Chris Lightcap (bass) keep heads nodding as Ingrid Laubrock (tenor\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/NelsCline_ConsentrikQuartet_byNathanWest-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/NelsCline_ConsentrikQuartet_byNathanWest-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/NelsCline_ConsentrikQuartet_byNathanWest-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/NelsCline_ConsentrikQuartet_byNathanWest-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11289,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/erdenebaatar-kugelmann-under-same-stars-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":11587,"position":2},"title":"Review: Shuteen Erdenebaatar and Nils Kugelmann\u2019s \u2018Under the Same Stars\u2019","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"September 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Under the Same Stars (Mot\u00e9ma, 2025) is the second installment of Mongolian-born and Germany-based pianist-composer Shuteen Erdenebaatar\u2019s planned trilogy drawing inspiration from the mythology of her Mongolian homeland surrounding the sun, moon, and stars. The first, Rising Sun (Motema, 2023), was an acclaimed quartet recording that evoked vitality, positivity, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_1518.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_1518.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_1518.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_1518.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11183,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-garchiks-ye-olde-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":11587,"position":3},"title":"Review: Jacob Garchik&#8217;s &#8216;Ye Olde 2: At The End of Time&#8217;","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"August 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Strap yourself in for an exhilarating ride. 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