Ben Goldberg • Todd Sickafoose • Scott Amendola @ Maybeck Studio (Berkeley)

Ben Goldberg (clarinets)

Todd Sickafoose (acoustic bass)

Scott Amendola (drums / electronics)

Simple replication is a dead end when bending tradition to suit your interests. This trio of long-time West Coast collaborators knows about that particular cul de sac, so they chop and channel yesteryear ideas to tickle their modern fancy. (Secret Hatch) is one of 2024's more intriguing albums not because the clarinetist, bassist, and drummer use Monk source material while creating these wholly new, and rather clever, pieces...but because they use so little of it. Goldberg, Sickafoose and Amendola came up with the notion of addressing only the bridges of Monk nuggets as starting points for their own creations, and it's a paydirt idea. The maestro's writing doesn't get wrung out, and the band's imaginative excursions speak for themselves. "Sad Trophy" ambles down a forlorn path on wisps of "Epistrophy" before venturing into amiable abstraction. "Self Evident" establishes a mysterious vibe while gently hinting at Monk's "Evidence." By mixing them with some enticing original motifs - nuggets from Goldberg's "Porch Concert Material" and three discrete themes Amendola deems his "Lions Heart" series - the rest of the program's improvisations are just as captivating. – Jim Macnie (Lament For a Straight Line)

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