Excerpts from review by Joshua Myers for CapitalBop
Tyshawn Sorey Trio, photo: John Rogers; Sandbox Percussion, photo: Kjell van Sice
Part of the Concerts from the Library of Congress series, the Coolidge Auditorium concert featured Sorey’s trio of pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Harish Raghavan playing an opening set, a second set featuring the Sandbox Percussion Ensemble, and a final movement with both groups. As we anticipated the tunes that Sorey would announce from the stage (as these were not relayed via the concert’s program), the drummer announced something else, stating plainly, “He’s still here among us.” This, of course, referred to Roach’s ancestral presence. But it also evoked the material traces of his life that are housed in the Library of Congress’ collection. Audience members were treated to a glimpse of these materials in the display cases outside the auditorium — a deeply meaningful and significant element of the concert series.
The “still here” resonated in another way. As the music took off, Sorey’s deft appreciation for Roach allowed tribute to manifest within the trio’s extension of his sound. For 30 minutes, the audience was transfixed as the trio moved through the set with no break or interruption.
Roach’s ensemble M’Boom represents another of those layers. So as the trio closed out their interpretation of “It’s Time,” Sandbox Percussion joined them on stage to deliver their own set. Composed of percussionists Ian Rosenbaum, Jonny Allen, Terry Sweeney and Victor Caccese, the quartet opened on vibraphone with a Julius Eastman composition entitled “Joy Boy.” Sandbox brought almost every imaginable percussion instrument with them, and many that we probably would not imagine. What came clearest from their performance was the connective tissue of the ensemble: trust. This was evident as they moved to George Lewis’s solemn “Le témoignage des lumières,” a tune which reflects upon the French contribution to Atlantic slavery. As each member of the ensemble walked across the stage to mine the possibilities of the array of percussive instruments, you could see how Roach’s work with M’Boom informed it all. It was appropriate then that they would subsequently close with Omar Clay and Warren Smith’s “Morning/Midday,” which ended with a lovely conclusion where Sorey’s trio rejoined them on stage.
As great as these two sets of music were, it was as if it was all moving, however, to Sorey’s “Cogitations.” This 2024 composition was co-commissioned by the Library, along with 92nd Street Y, Wexner Center of the Arts and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. “Cogitations” is Sorey at his most honest, a composer who champions spontaneity. Featuring both of the night’s ensembles, it gave us the most explosive moment of the night. And it allowed us to see that Roach’s legacy as a composer was not merely rhythmic, but spoke to and with the possibilities of all instruments.
Read review in full here
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