Dan Weiss – Unclassified Affections (2025) [FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz]

Dan Weiss – Unclassified Affections (2025)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 56:29 minutes | 1,06 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Pi Recordings

Unclassified Affections is the entrancing new release from drummer and composer Dan Weiss that features the convergence of some of the most intriguing musicians on the scene: Peter Evans on trumpet, Patricia Brennan on vibraphone, and Miles Okazaki on guitar. The new compositions, which were written by Weiss specifically for these musicians, range from deep, meditative moments to intense, high-energy peaks, while every track unveils a new layer of exploration. Brennan’s sonorous mallet work contrasts with Evans’ sharp, inventive trumpet lines, while Okazaki’s guitar weaves intricate webs of harmony and dissonance, all underpinned by Weiss’ hypnotic rhythms. The Layers of rhythmic and contrapuntal interaction flow effortlessly, framed by a ghostly silence, with plenty of room given to improvisation. Together, they weave a profound, mysterious spell that is shrouded with concealed meaning. It’s another transcendent project from a truly unclassifiable artist.New York-based drummer and composer Dan Weiss is a vibrant force in contemporary jazz. His polyrhythmic playing, which draws on studies of Indian and African music, is complex and viscerally exciting, while his compositions often contain angular lines and contrasting layers.

Weiss assembled a new quartet for 2025’s Unclassified Affections: trumpeter Peter Evans, vibraphonist Patricia Brennan, and guitarist Miles Okazaki. (The album’s title comes from Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse and some of the track names also make literary references.) Weiss wrote the material with these specific players in mind and the combination of unusual instrumental timbres is striking.

The title track starts with Brennan, unaccompanied, laying out a gently zigzagging pattern on vibraphone. Guitar and then trumpet appear. The drums enter, artfully rising and falling in volume, before locking into an assertive beat. There’s a passage of jittery note-scribbling before the reemergence of the initial pattern. The piece’s abrupt ending provides an energizing jolt.

“Perfection’s Loneliness” shows off a different side of the band. Whirring, blissed-out vibraphone leads into the main section of this lovely ballad. Evans sensitively lays out the melody to nuanced accompaniment that features effective rests and nice pianissimo touches.

The first track the group recorded, “Mansions of Madness,” stands out. Dirty guitar starts things off; later, Evans’s outstanding work brims with energized stutters and squeaks. In the last section, his edgy trumpet squiggles over the rude roar of electric guitar, insistent vibes, and rushing drums.

Unclassified Affections closes with “Dead Wall Revelry,” ten minutes of ever-shifting moods. Solo guitar, accented by ringing overtones, segues into a repeating line that creates a framework for the players. Later, a groove emerges, which in turn morphs into gorgeous impressionism marked by sustained notes. It’s a dreamy ending to an album with plenty of tense, high-wire moments. – Fred Cisterna

Tracklist:

1-1. Dan Weiss – Unclassified Affections (04:34)
1-2. Dan Weiss – Holotype (07:28)
1-3. Dan Weiss – Perfection’s Loneliness (06:45)
1-4. Dan Weiss – Mansions of Madness (05:18)
1-5. Dan Weiss – Consoled Without Consolations (06:48)
1-6. Dan Weiss – Existence Ticket (08:10)
1-7. Dan Weiss – Plusgood (07:45)
1-8. Dan Weiss – Dead Wall Revelry (09:38)

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