Time Changes

Album Review

Time Changes, which is co-led by bassist Mark Dresser and Denman Maroney (who plays an occasionally altered piano that is here dubbed a "hyperpiano"), is comprised of 11 originals that (other than a pair of free improvisations) are based around a specific idea or theme and usually feature unusual time signatures and/or changing tempos and complex chord changes. Parts of the music are tightly arranged while others are more spontaneous; it is fun to try to guess which is which. The three musicians and sometimes Alexandra Montano (who has a haunting and very flexible voice) build up the pieces logically if unpredictably by listening closely to each other, using space effectively and letting each new idea breathe. The music manages to be both inside and outside at the same time, with Dresser, Maroney, and drummer Michael Sarin forming a new type of piano trio. Time Changes is intriguing and thought-provoking music.