{"id":1814,"date":"2020-11-04T07:38:50","date_gmt":"2020-11-04T13:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=1814"},"modified":"2021-06-24T17:00:32","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T22:00:32","slug":"review-luke-stewart-exposure-quintet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-luke-stewart-exposure-quintet\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: &#8216;Luke Stewart Exposure Quintet&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Free Jazz\/Avant-Garde is at its most expressive when it presents itself as a collective experience. A singular unit that exists by excavating the thoughts, experiences, emotion, and creativity of all members in equal measure. On the recording of <em>The Luke Stewart Exposure Quintet<\/em>\u2019s self-titled album, the bassist-bandleader states: \u201cI want to convey again the collectivity of the Quintet&#8230;The example set out by the journeys of many in Improvised Music, including the gentlemen on this recording, allows for exploration of &#8220;composition&#8221; in true collective non-hierarchical form. There are no single series of notes, timbres, and dynamics conceived previously by an individual that was then imposed. Rather the music was allowed to be presented with equal representation from each individual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result of this is a powerful collision of musical personalities. The group is rounded out with reedmen Ken Vandermark and Edward Wilkerson Jr., pianist Jim Baker, and drummer Avreeayl Ra. This bold collection of Chicago-based musicians have created a record that is steeped in jazz tradition while simultaneously propelling it light years forward. The Austin, Texas based Astral Spirits record label, who released this album, seems to specialize in this methodology.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The album begins with \u201cAwakening the Masters,\u201d opening with an ominous bass hook that pulses in and out throughout the track, inviting in the other players to interpret it in whatever manner suits them in that particular moment. It is fascinating to listen to. At times the members will approach it in a thoughtful, light-hearted manner, and at other times, like Baker\u2019s run around the 5 minute mark, it can be downright menacing.<\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=417702703\/album=1264670019\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBrown and Gray\u201d kicks off in a similar manner, with the reed section bleating out a Basie-esque melody&#8230;if Count Basie was stuck in 5th circle of hell&#8230;which Vandermark and Wilkerson quickly push to the 7th circle in just a few minutes. This is certainly not a knock on the playing. Vandermark and Wilkerson\u2019s chemistry is not only infectious but also incredibly moving.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=2584969062\/album=1264670019\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Great Free Jazz doesn\u2019t need to punch you in the face with a fistful of dissonance to get your attention. Some of the most powerful pieces of music that fall within the Free Jazz domain lend towards a surprisingly tender and introspective sound. Vandermark and Wilkerson aren\u2019t afraid of melody, and prove that on tracks like this and throughout companions tracks \u201cHarp and Silhouette Pt. I\u201d and \u201cHarp and Silhouette Pt. II.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This midway point of the album is also where we see the impeccable timing and beauty in drummer Avreeayl Ra\u2019s playing. Thank God we still have Free Jazz drummers that truly understand the importance of simultaneously expressing their own ideas while keeping the band on track. Ra is very aware of when a motif has run its course, or when coming down off of a crescendo is in the best interest of the piece, as he gently steers the musicians towards a more sincere place. This is especially evident on the masterful 23 minute long album closer \u201cThe Scene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Astral Spirits releases remarkable music on a near-weekly basis, this album has truly held its place as one of the best releases of the year. An intense, captivating album, it is not for the faint of heart, but at the end of the day, who wants to listen to weak music anyways?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wfubaa.bandcamp.com\/album\/luke-stewart-exposure-quintet\">Luke Stewart Exposure Quintet is out now on Astral Spirits Records<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tracklist: 1. Awakening the Masters; 2. Brown and Gray; 3. HAARP and Concrete Silhouette Pt 1; 4. HAARP and Concrete Silhouette Pt 2; 5. The Scene. <br><br>Personnel: Luke Stewart (bass); Ken Vandermark (reeds); Edward Wilkerson, Jr. (reeds); Jim Baker (piano); Avreeayl Ra (drums). <br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Free Jazz\/Avant-Garde is at its most expressive when it presents itself as a collective experience. A singular unit that exists by excavating the thoughts, experiences, emotion, and creativity of all members in equal measure. On the recording of The Luke Stewart Exposure Quintet\u2019s self-titled album, the bassist-bandleader states: \u201cI want to convey again the collectivity [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":1816,"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":84,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","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":[],"class_list":["post-1814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Luke_Stewart_photo-by-Jake-Meginsky-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-tg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2086,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/postgenres-best-of-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":1814,"position":0},"title":"PostGenre&#8217;s Best of 2020","author":"PostGenre Writing Staff","date":"December 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"For nearly everyone, 2020 has been a time of difficulty. A pandemic. Intense political uncertainty. Murder hornets (?). It has not been an easy twelve months. To help cope, many look to the artist to provide an escape from their current circumstances. Fortunately, we are in the midst of a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage7.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\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage7.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage7.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage7.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2151,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/anthony-dean-harris-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":1814,"position":1},"title":"Anthony Dean-Harris&#8217; Best &#8220;Jazz&#8221; Albums of 2020","author":"Anthony Dean-Harris","date":"December 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"[Editor\u2019s Note: We are honored to have Anthony Dean-Harris join us as a special contributor for this year\u2019s lists. Several of our staff have worked with Anthony on other projects in the past and greatly respect his insight and skills as both a writer and broadcaster. More information on Anthony\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage9.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\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage9.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage9.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage9.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11610,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-martian-sunset-bill-ware\/","url_meta":{"origin":1814,"position":2},"title":"Review: Bill Ware and the Club Bird All Stars\u2019 \u2018Martian Sunset\u2019","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"December 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The vibraphonist Bill Ware is perhaps best known for his work with The Jazz Passengers and Groove Collective. 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Since 2016, he has composed over two hundred and fifty pieces, including sixty\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\/12\/img_2767-9.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\/12\/img_2767-9.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/img_2767-9.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/img_2767-9.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1137,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/clayton-happening-vanguard\/","url_meta":{"origin":1814,"position":3},"title":"Review: Gerald Clayton\u2019s \u2018Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard\u2019","author":"Brian Kiwanuka","date":"July 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Pianist Gerald Clayton first came to the attention of many jazz fans by way of the late Roy Hargrove's quintet on Earfood (Emarcy, 2008). 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