Between the
Dawn | Dusk EP and their debut album
In All Things,
Columbia Nights appeased their base with a set of remixes, a few collaborations, and a clutch of stray cuts. Versions of I-Level's "Heart Aglow" and the circa 1988
Sade B-side "Make Some Room" added to their spotless bank of smartly selected covers. During the three-year period, multi-instrumentalists and producers John E. Daise and Hayling Price added Jason Edwards, longtime peer who played some percussion on the EP, and remixed its "As You Are," as a full-time member. The trio took their time to make
In All Things, a modest and proficient sequence of unhurried grooves. Joined by a handful of associates,
Columbia Nights come off as whiz-kid progeny of the Native Tongues and Soulquarians who have absorbed every recording referenced or sampled by those collectives. The closest contemporary comparison is
Robert Glasper Experiment's
Black Radio releases, though
CN have concision and pacing down to a science, incorporate more electronic elements, and keep the subject matter to personal and romantic reflections in which there is little conflict. Nothing is designed to make a listener break a sweat, but much of it sounds like it was created in a state of lucid bliss. "Glide," tenderly fronted by Vaughan Octavia -- who adds violin to five other songs -- is bound to provoke side-to-side swaying but is no more active than
Aaliyah's rhythmic sibling "Rock the Boat." "The Rhythm," featuring Sarai Abdul-Malik, is almost as energetic, one of many cuts discreetly propelled by a bobbing melodic bassline. Only briefly, the tempo quickens on the title cut with some drums that verge on drum'n'bass, yet even that couldn't be called aggressive. The typically measured cuts get lead turns from
Diggs Duke,
Aaron "AB" Abernathy, Siaira Shawn, and B. Jamelle. They're as distinctive as those vocalists, yet they flow into and out of one another with ease. What's most impressive is that none of the playing is flashy or merely functional. Each note and beat is either played or programmed in service to the song. ~ Andy Kellman