In Common at Jazz Standard

In its 4.5star review of the selftitled 2018 debut album by In Common, DownBeat wrote: In Common conveys the shape and feel of traditional jazz while remaining harmonically untethered and melodically free...The best of both worlds. In Common was cofounded by tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III and guitarist Matthew Stevens when (in Stevens words) [we] decided to go into the studio with music that could be quickly interpreted with an interesting group of musicians and to let it unfold naturally from there. Says Walter Smith III: Part of the basis for the project was to write relatively simple music...

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In its 4.5star review of the selftitled 2018 debut album by In Common, DownBeat wrote: In Common conveys the shape and feel of traditional jazz while remaining harmonically untethered and melodically free...The best of both worlds. In Common was cofounded by tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III and guitarist Matthew Stevens when (in Stevens words) [we] decided to go into the studio with music that could be quickly interpreted with an interesting group of musicians and to let it unfold naturally from there. Says Walter Smith III: Part of the basis for the project was to write relatively simple music. The idea of simplicity downplayed individual ownership, which was liberating. This week at Jazz Standard, In Common will preview new compositions from their forthcoming second album for the Whirlwind label. The hyperfluency among these players is never exploited for flash, or mistaken for the main point. Its simply a means to more lyrical ends, and folded into a model of interplay that suits the name of the band. (Nate Chinen, WBGO)Walter Smith III tenor saxophoneMatt Stevens guitar Micah Thomas piano Harish Raghavan bass Marcus Gilmore drums

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