Communication is what this group is all about. The slightest change in melody, shift in tempo, or even a quick look toward another musician was a clue to move in a new direction. To suit the task, Gilmore’s kit was angled exactly toward Iyer, so that the drummer could see the pianist’s every move, even if that meant Gilmore’s back had to face a good chunk of the audience.
No complaints; it made for some mad stick work. Gilmore, whose grandfather is the legendary Boston-reared drummer Roy Haynes, was as much the star as Iyer Friday night. His assertive, insistent beats propelled Iyer to do things he might not otherwise have done. Gilmore provided the thrust that pushed Iyer to attach against-time phrases onto the rhythm and insert contrapuntal punctuations into crevices. Twice, Gilmore smacked the snare so hard that half the audience jumped.
Iyer drew the first set’s material not only from “Historicity’’ but also from his more recent “Solo’’ album, his forthcoming Indian-themed work “Tirtha,’’ and his 2005 disc “Reimagining.’’ It was sometimes hard to tell where one song ended and the next began. “Lude’’ blended into “Optimum.’’ “Dogon A.D.’’ segued into “Cardio.’’
On that second medley, the trio spun like a cyclone. Gilmore churned out a rhythm that approximated that of electronic jungle music a la Aphex Twin, while Marcus plucked maniacally (often while vocalizing) and Iyer played defiantly arrhythmic runs and thick chords. Suddenly the tone turned mysterious, and Iyer plinked spare notes in the highest octave like icicles falling in the woods. It all climaxed in a maelstrom of cymbal bashing, upright bass assault, and a rapid succession of long-sustained chords.
Then for something completely different, the trio took on Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature.’’ Gilmore laid down an off-kilter rhythm pattern, and Iyer deliberately delayed the melodic motif, striking blue notes where none previously existed and omitting other notes for effect. He sped through the refrain on purpose, and used bits and pieces of the melody as the basis for ostinatos, giving them the effect of samples in a hip-hop song. With those in place, the trio spun itself into another storm.
Steve Greenlee can be reached at greenlee@globe.com.
