Matt Slocum - with love and sadness

2022 CD release.

The structure of With Love and Sadness emerged during a trip to the Maine wilderness where Slocum reflected on the seemingly increasing depths of systemic racism in America and the possibilities for change. In his liner notes for the recording, Slocum writes, “As a result of pandemic-related closures, it was the first time my wife and I had traveled in many months. It felt like a new perspective, at least early in the journey. The shape of this composition outlines the evolution of my reflections throughout the course of that trip. The primary theme is introduced in the prelude and developed throughout the suite. Although the work journeys from B minor in the opening two movements to eventually reach D major in the final movement, most of the piece follows a sonic trajectory moving away from optimism, but clinging to a kind of blind hope and beauty (real or imagined) in our collective potential for change. The final movement, a rearrangement and development of the main theme, is inspired by Pat Metheny’s “Is This America?” It’s my understanding that Mr. Metheny composed that song as a musical response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Fifteen years later, I’m not sure that we’ve made a great deal of progress as a society.”

With Love and Sadness features Grammy-nominated pianist Taylor Eigsti, an important voice in the world of creative music and a musician whose “range of expression is not limited by illusory stylistic boundaries,” says Slocum; first-call bassist Larry Grenadier, who also appears on Slocum’s previous album, Sanctuary (Grenadier is a modern-day giant known for his 25-year association with the Brad Mehldau Trio, as well as consequential engagements with Pat Metheny, Paul Motian, Charles Lloyd, Joshua Redman, and Mark Turner); and saxophonist Walter Smith III, a modern master who is equally at home in a variety of musical settings – from performing with the Roy Haynes Quartet to co-leading an ensemble with Matthew Stevens and Joel Ross. Slocum writes, “There are shapes in Walter’s playing that I don’t hear anywhere else, and his dynamic range and depth of interaction with the rhythm section fill his music with mood, personality, and possibility.” Credit must also be given to the legendary recording and mixing engineer, James Farber, who, on an all-analog project such as this, is as much a part of the ensemble as the musicians. “Like great jazz musicians, James always brings his own identifiable sound to each project. He creates an inviting and inspiring sonic environment that allows the musical connection, as well as the balance within and between the instruments, to happen naturally in the recording studio,” states Slocum.