BlankFor.ms, Jason Moran, Marcus Gilmore - Refract (Red Hook Records, 2023)

By Don Phipps

There is much to enjoy on Refract. BlankFor.ms (electronics), Jason Moran (piano), and Marcus Gilmore (drums) create a series of poetic vignettes that carry the listener on a wide-ranging episodic journey – a journey that explores a variety of moods and texture.

The album begins with the racing “Onset I,” which develops quickly with robust abstractions and wanderings. When it merges into “Onset 2,” the piece takes a darker and more somber approach, achieved by Moran’s judicial use of the piano pedal and his strikes at the very top notes of the keyboard.

Funky lines are developed on “Tape Loop A” and “Eighth Pose,” and these pieces permit Gilmore to set slippery rhythms that click along. On the latter, listen as Moran splashes about over the funk – and the others respond – creating a dance that percolates along.

BlankFor.ms shines on “Affectionate, Painful.” His electronic renderings suggest shimmering vistas, light, and color. And “Inward Curve,” is similar, with BlankFor.ms and Gilmore rendering a dynamic foundation for Moran to strut his piano creativity. The lines burst with bluesy, grand perspective.

The album masterpiece is “Tape Loop B.” A three-part opus that “wanders lonely as a cloud” (apologies to Wordsworth), “B” gives each musician a chance to shape the texture of the piece. “I” begins eerily enough, with BlankFor.ms’s atmospherics and Moran’s impressionistic lines that sculpt the mood above the extremely subtle all over Gilmore drumming. Gilmore’s cymbal work, while stunning throughout the album, really asserts itself on “II,” as he supports Moran’s motifs and his slow chordal buildup. Towards the end of “II,” Gilmore’s snare becomes more pronounced, but in a subtle and beautiful but never restrained manner – a technique rarely heard in free music. On “III,” the movement takes on a heroic character, especially when Moran’s motif emphasizes single piano notes. What really makes “III” stand out, though, is BlankFor.ms’s warm atmospherics. His electronics create an other-worldly experience before slowly fading away.

There is much to admire about Refract and the efforts here encourage repeated listening. Call it mood music – music that takes you to shimmering mountain peaks - or perhaps warm summer surf is more appropriate. As the water slowly rolls in and your feet sink into the sand, the music on Refract washes over you. It is up to you to know when (and where) to dive in. Enjoy.