William Doran 1/4tet - Reflections

The Free Jazz Collective 100

By Don Phipps

Turn the lights down low, roll one, chill and listen. That is the ideal setting for trumpeter/composer William Doran’s 1/4tet album Reflections, a modal masterpiece that keeps its cool through ten energetic pieces which flow like a mountain waterfall cascading into the deep beyond. The ten Doran compositions here seem fresh and unrehearsed, although judging by the tightness of the band, they received a fair amount of practice. And Doran has burst on the scene, with 17 album releases this year alone (Reflections, Creative Big Band, Creative Intelligence, 6 Compositions, Vienna State Compositions, Bolszaz, Jazz Moods, A Modernist Perspective, 'Pops' 3 Compositions, Humanoids, Nether Realms, Orleans Cat, Overstand, Tri Centric, Seattle City, Maluthak Abun, Bopcity (Croydon Sessions), and Borderlands)! He also has two more albums (The Blues Stuff and Back Home Blues) set to release in January 2025. Holy Sweet Moly!!!

Doran describes his approach to jazz as avant garde and says his method permits him to develop “a very free and individualistic voice.” Furthermore, he says his music is influenced by experimental and classical idioms, which he uses to “create narratives” that redefine what he calls the “jazz tradition.” Listening to his floating trumpet lines on Reflections suggests a hybrid version of bebop, hard bop, and cool jazz – a grouping that remakes those idioms into something new. Doran is joined on Reflections by Mulando Muyo (vibraphone), Al Mohammed (guitar), Adam Bhika (piano), Adrian Schofield (drums), and Freddie Knight (bass), and their contributions fit perfectly with Doran’s theory of music.

Take “Gradients,” a work that seems suspended in air. Doran’s seductive tone slides above the beautiful transitions created by Bhika’s modal piano lines (think McCoy Tyner in his Coltrane period) and Knight’s traveling bass. Muyo adds slight dissonance as his vibraphone floats in and out of the mix. More importantly, Doran’s “Gradients” trumpet lines (and indeed his effort on the whole album) are never predictable. Like a pitcher using a variety of pitches - changeups, fastballs, sliders, and curves – to keep the batter on his toes, Doran allows his imagination to create spontaneous and unrepetitive running arcs, arcs that keep the listener tuned in.

On “Leyland,” Mohammad’s guitar enters and exits with choice bluesy chords, leaving plenty of space for Doran to perform his magic. And Schofield’s open swingish drumming on “Meole Brace,” possibly the album’s best track, fills in the edges, leaving room for Doran to dominate the middle.

All of Doran’s bandmates have their moments. There’s vibraphonist Muyo’s work on “Polygons,” where he finds the right note clusters to complement Doran’s walkabouts. Or his dreamy sci-fi effects on “Mississippi.” Or his use of the instrument’s pedal on “So Far.” Pianist Bhika contributes a special laid-back solo on the back end of “Polygons” and his solo abstractions near the end of “Washington” are not to be missed. Bassist Knight brings it with his walking/swinging lines, providing a solid foundation for his bandmates’ ruminations. But he is not just a timekeeper. Listen to the sparse notes he opens with on “Polygons,” “Washington,” or the moody hazy “So Far.” Likewise, guitarist Mohammed’s playing is never ill-timed or intrusive. It augments the floating effect that Doran creates with his plethora of notes. And drummer Schofield adds special ins and outs that maintain the lively music. Check out his and Mohammad’s performance on “The Dusk,” and how the pair play off against Doran to create texture and color.

But in the end, it is William Doran’s trumpet that waxes eloquently – whether straight or muted. There really is no place on the album where he rests. He just rolls – like one might – when biking through a forest, staying on a path but experiencing the new at every bend. His tone is warm and engaging – at no time pinched or forceful. Doran says on his website that his compositions are created using a “transcendental improvised system which uses intuitive techniques… with an approach that breaks paradigms…. (I) call the (system) ‘Transcendental Improvisation’….” Hybrid modal jazz or transcendental improvisation – you decide. But whatever it is called, it is most excellent!