There's a sense of familiarity at play on Two Centuries. One likely reason is that Qasim Naqvi—jazz drummer, new music composer, and synthesizer-player par excellence—once studied with his two esteemed collaborators: free jazz drummer Andrew Cyrille and trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith. All three musicians possess highly distinctive voices that blend seamlessly with each other. The album is a masterful study in texture and contrast.
"For D.F." is a quietly powerful opener. Smith's trumpet playing unfolds over Naqvi's somber synth and Cyrille's percussive sound-painting. The trumpet moves from pensive to edgy, and at times, the synth turns sour. There's an overall sense of strange, troubled melancholy, an apt mood for a piece dedicated to Darnella Frazier, the person who recorded the murder of George Floyd on her phone. "Bypass Decay" is an engrossing dialogue-in-timbres. There's no horn, just the interplay between droning, wavering synth and ever-inventive drumming. The synthesizer on "The Curve," another duet, has the meditative quality and low-end undertow of early Terry Riley. Late in the track, the synth, shadowed by Cyrille's sensitive brush work, builds and builds in intensity until the track dramatically ends.
One standout, "Sadden Upbeat," features syncopated rhythms, squelching synth, and fiery muted trumpet that evoke the dark and funky realm of Miles Davis circa 1975. Even pieces that have a fragmentary quality impress. "Halide," for instance, charms with its stuttering, melodic synth, swirling drums, and tinkling bells. On "Orion Arm," Smith's statement has the grace and power of a quietly declamatory prayer. Cyrille's cymbals nicely embellish the trumpet as Naqvi's reverent tones hover. This moving closer is yet another instance of the telepathy on display throughout Two Centuries. © Fred Cisterna/Qobuz