The Adam Larson Trio: With Love, From Chicago
Outside in Music

Adam Larson's seventh album as a leader is as much a love letter from Chicago as for it. The vitality of the city, one of jazz's preeminent hubs, comes through vividly in the ten performances, each one characterized by freshness and spontaneity. There's a raw, almost gutbucket-like quality to the playing that suggests the tenor saxophonist and his Chicago-based partners, bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall, armed with an agreed-upon set-list, hit the studio running and went with first takes to capture the trio's energy. Larson's affection for the city is clearly conveyed in this opening chapter in a planned trilogy of trio releases.

If the three sound comfortable together, it might have something to do with familiarity, as they first played together in 2014. Eight years on, they operate like a recently tuned engine, all instantaneous combustion and muscle. Cleverly titled, “Angolan Babysitter” catches the ear right off with its infectious vibe, serpentine theme, and African-flavoured tone. The trio tears into the tune, Larson leading the charge and the others with him at every step. Trade-offs between the leader and Hall show the two to be excellent sparring partners, and Sommers is no slouch either. As dynamic as this scene-setter is, it's not without focus and purpose. The leader impresses again with “Root Fruit,” a muscular workout that even sneaks a few bars of dub into its roiling blues-jazz blend. Less aggressive is his “In Waiting,” a reflective exploration that isn't unwelcome when much of the album's so intense.

Speaking of the set-list, Larson's three tunes are complemented by Sommers' four, with the remainder covers of Monk's “We See,” John Wojciechowski's “Twirl,” and Joseph Russel Robinson's “Portrait of Jenny.” The trio's loose and hungry for Sommers' swinging “The Time You Forgot You Knew” and “Kansas to Chicago,” the latter memorable for its bluesy post-bop dynamism and Larson's inventiveness. While not a cover of The Prodigy's hit, Sommers' “Firestarter” is as stoked, and “Twirl” swings too, albeit in 3/4 time. The musicians' attack is as unfussy as it comes, with Larson and Sommers wielding tenor and acoustic bass exclusively and Hall deriving maximum mileage from a basic kit. Indicative of the general approach is the vigorous run-through of “We See”; the set isn't without contrast, however, as exemplified by the trio's smoky take on the romantic jazz standard “Portrait of Jennie.”

Among other distinguished accomplishments, Larson has created an online masterclass focusing on developing technique and titled “Lighting-Fast and Crystal-Clean”—qualities in plentiful supply in his playing on this outing. As mentioned, With Love, From Chicago is the first in a projected trilogy that features him partnering with musicians in different cities that have played a significant role in his career development. One might hazard a guess at what the other two might be—New York City perhaps, where Larson lived while studying at The Manhattan School, and Kansas City, where he and his family currently abide? No matter: the locales will be known soon enough, as the trilogy's scheduled to appear over an eighteen-month period. When it's fully available, the project will no doubt prove fascinating in granting the listener the chance to do comparison studies between the trios and their respective albums.

April 2022