If you were tuned into PanM360 in 2024, you might have read my previous review of Meditations on Providence and Perseverance, Vol.1 by the Lithuanian pianist based in Boston, Domas Žeromskas. I favourably highlighted a “solid and controlled post-bop jazz” and “a happy dose of coloristic variations against a conventional harmonic base.” Well, the talented young man is back at it with a Volume 2 that is just as delightful, and even a notch more advanced in terms of writing and musical performance.
READ MY REVIEW OF DOMAS ŽEROMSKAS’ PREVIOUS ALBUM
In this second volume, Žeromskas once again brings together a wide range of textures and colours thanks to a very varied ensemble formed (beyond the basic jazz trio) of a violin, vibraphone, marimba, flutes, electric bass, and voice. Not everyone plays at the same time; this is not a program for a large orchestra, but rather a series of pieces that effectively transform their atmosphere and character with each new beginning.
If modern post-bop remains the harmonic-rhythmic language favoured by the composer, decidedly more contemporary colours surface here and there, for example in reFlect, where Žeromskas lets the beautiful voice of Luan Pommier soar into nice contemporary harmonies.
The energetic passages serve as a canvas for the quality of play and technical precision of Žeromskas’ various companions, while some calmer moments (very beautiful Eph 4:31-32) offer beautiful, more contemplative moments.
We can eagerly hope to hear the musician and his compositions in Montreal, perhaps somewhere in 2027.
Domas Žeromskas – piano, composition
Héctor L. Falu Guzmán – drums, percussion
Joel Ross – vibraphone (2, 4, 6)
Brian Urra – violin (2, 5, 6, 7)
Sam JC Lee – upright bass (2, 4, 6)
Langston Hughes II – alto saxophone (3, 5)
Luan Pommier – voice (3, 7)
Ian Quinton Banno – upright bass (3, 5)
Alexandria DeWalt – flute (2, 6)
Gregory Groover Jr. – tenor saxophone (5, 7)
Jaden Anderson – electric bass (1, 7)
Farayi Malek – voice (7)
Jeremiah Triplett Jr. – voice (7)
Mason Windley – flute (7)
Armón Brooks Jr. – marimba (5)
