A bassist who calls New Orleans home, Noah Young is well versed in modern instrumental jazz, where nods to legends like Derrick Hodge and Pino Palladino occupy these 11 tracks that welcome many players to a place of reflection and sonic appeal.
The atmospheric and glitchy “The Dream” leads with Martin Masakowski’s upright bass and Young’s electric bass for the quick flash of cinematic ideas that was an accidental track. “Early Morning” then uses both those basses in a creative, synthetic-versus-organic climate, while the grooves of “Fly On The Wall” radiate much melody between Alfred Jordan’s drums, Sam Kuslan’s keys, and James Maestas’ guitar.
Deeper into the first half, “Babycat’s Melody” makes great use of Shea Pierre’s well timed keys and strategic synth bass via a reflective mood that began after an actual cat jump onto a piano, but it’s the fuller and beat friendly “Night Crawler” that makes Side A worth a spin.
The last five songs start with the busy and pop-fueled “Shadows” that you could play late night at a club and doesn’t shy away from rhythm, and “Gemini” finds itself in dreamy ebbs alongside lush and stylish instrumentation. “Hurricane Season” might be the most rock focused moment thanks to the dense guitar lines, bass acrobatics and crisp drumming that mirrors the turbulent New Orleans weather. Conversely, “One For Caidin” is the most minimal, where intimacy and grace populate the soft gestures.
“Light In The Dark” exits, and it’s the only tune with Jamison Ross on drums and percussion, which makes for a frisky, infectious finish to a well-crafted body of work.
Young views the bass as a multidimensional tool, and that’s evident across these creative and intriguing songs. Ross’s handling of production is meticulous, and really illuminates the attention to space and environment.