Ken Thomson and Slow/Fast - It Would Be Easier If

In late 2010 saxophonist and composer Ken Thomson with his quintet Fast/Slow, released their first CD, It Would Be Easier If. Original jazz of the early 21st Century is sometimes referred to as “New Music,” especially when it incorporates jazz, rock and traditional composition techniques. But, the term is not entirely appropriate since it was used to describe the atonal orchestral and ensemble compositions which were the result of the evolution of traditional classical music in the late 20th Century. Thomson describes his music as “21st Century Third Stream,” a very ambiguous characterization for most listeners. Perhaps in can be more accurately, if more blandly, described as composed free-form modern eclectic jazz fusion until a simpler and more commonly accepted term prevails.


While Thomson’s compositions are unique and fresh, two hallmarks quickly become apparent while listening to Slow/Fast the unmistakable rock influence conspicuous in the guitar parts and the nearly non-existent solo sections which throughout the 20th Century were a fundamental and resolute part of traditional jazz. The rock influence is natural since all the musicians have rock credentials and one of Thomson’s many ongoing gigs is as leader of Gutbucket, a punk rock jazz band. Nir Felder’s guitar is charged with rock style distortion, purposely undisguised finger-against-string sounds, blunt static chords and even a bit of shredding (“Goddamn You Ice Cream Truck”). Thomson has intentionally turned the jazz tradition of a composed head followed by solos upside down and allowed improvisational style melodic material to become the principal compositional ingredients, relegating true free improvisation to a minor role. In addition to Thomson on bass clarinet and alto saxophone and Felder on guitar are Russ Johnson, trumpet, Adam Armstrong, bass, Fred Kennedy, drums and guest glockenspiel player Melanie T Sehman (“Wanderangst”).
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