Towers, the 2nd full-length record from drummer/composer Atticus Reynolds, presents a rich collection of original music written after relocating to Los Angeles in 2017 and joining LA’s new vanguard of emerging jazz improvisers. A collection of disparate musical ideas written since his move, the album was recorded over a two-day period in September 2019 and features some of Reynolds’ close friends and common musical collaborators in Los Angeles, including Devin Daniels on alto saxophone, Aidan Lombard on trumpet, Jon Hatamiya on trombone, Max Beck on bass, and Jordan Reifkind on guitar.
Towers is in some ways a love letter to the time Reynolds has spent in California, but also serves as a powerful introduction for his distinct musical voice within the Los Angeles scene. Dense yet palatable, his compositions prioritize the essence of structure and timbre, while giving his colleagues a platform to stretch and express themselves.
“The concept for the record was in many ways to give agency to these musicians that I had so much respect for and to write adaptable music. I wanted to have some degree of control over where the compositions went yet write just the necessary information on the page to let the compositions move to very different places. In this nature, these short often one page (molds) could be played just as easily with a trio or an octet.”
–Atticus Reynolds
Towers begins with a fierce and driving unison horn line in “Control” that calls upon Reynolds’ musical identity’s indebtedness to Afro-Cuban music in a modern context. With the drums melodically floating over the driving force of the band, the piece deals with ideas of anxiety as both a crippling and empowering force. Some of the tracks such as “Sleep,” a two-sided meditation on sleep deprivation, and “West (of you),” a piece dealing with distance away from someone you love, are more personal in concept. Other pieces like “F.emeral (the chopper & the goldhand),” a composition built to create a space for musical sparring, were written almost as improvisational exercises. Another more abstract exercise was “Trapeze Artists,” a pyramid-like composition that deals with momentum, elevation, and vertigo by utilizing Jordan Reifkind’s angular and cutting improvisational voice on guitar. The closing track, “Hymn (thoughts & prayers),” was written after the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting. The hymn-like repeated structure that each time becomes slightly re-harmonized symbolizes the differing spaces of understanding (or lack thereof) and grief.
The individual voices presented on Towers are remarkable, indeed, but what really shines through here is the cohesion of Reynolds’ concept and compositions. With a maturity well beyond their collective years, the band presents a compelling new vision for the future of the Los Angeles jazz scene. Orenda Records is proud to release Towers and give artists like Atticus Reynolds a platform to present visionary creative music.