Unclassified Affections sees drummer Dan Weiss teaming up with fellow travelers Peter Evans on trumpet, Patricia Brennan on vibes, and Miles Okazaki on guitar. Weiss has a penchant for densely composed pieces as well as improv. His writing exhibits a certain economy that squeezes more out of each note than one might think possible.
The self-titled opener begins with Evans alternating between two-note motifs, gradually met by the rest of the ensemble as they move from sparse textures to fuller, layered interplay. Holoytype follows, marked by fragmented bursts and a long, exploratory solo from Weiss toward the close. Both tracks feature irregular phrasings and timings that are as intriguing as they are unusual.
Mansions of Madness features Okazaki turning up the distortion, but handing the lead over the Evans for labyrinthine sequences of melodic passages. Brennan and Weiss provide context and setting, dropping out and then back in, giving the piece staggered feel. As the album progresses, Brennan’s role becomes more overt and almost lyrical with solos on Consoled without Consolations and Existence Ticket.
The album finishes strong, with non-Western rhythms on Plusgood and a slow burn of harmonic sophistication on Dead Wail Revelry, closing the set with a sense of controlled intensity.
A decade ago, Weiss’s Fourteen was an album of the year with its big-band chamber jazz. That recording left a strong impression, and repeated listens only deepened the sense that something remained just out of reach. Weiss’s structural idiosyncrasies are deliberate but sometimes obscure – there’s a narrative at work, even if not all of its cues are immediately discernible. This elusive yet intellectual quality is just one factor that gives his music its replay value.
Like Fourteen, Unclassified Affections could also be considered chamber jazz, albeit with a much smaller ensemble. But aside from moments here and there, the album is slow, quiet, and on the introspective side. The group never jams or settles into a groove, and rather remains mercurial and unpredictable throughout.
Unclassified Affections was released June 6 by Pi Recordings.
