Time is preferably experienced in anxiety-laden contexts. In terms of our own lives, it is available in limited quantities, and there never seems to be enough even in our daily lives. Things have to get done, we have places to go and moments of »quality time« need to be crammed into 24 hours. At the other extreme of this, there are musicians like Chicago bassist Joshua Abrams and his fellow musicians from the Natural Information Society. »Since Time Is Gravity«, the title of their latest album, even posits a thesis, albeit an unfinished one: time is gravity, something that grounds you rather than outruns you. What exactly follows from this is left for you to decide. But the assembled improv artists hint at a possible answer; the core line-up is joined by a diverse array of fellow musicians from the city, including drummer Hamid Drake and saxophonist Ari Brown. Over the circular repetitive basic figures set by gimbri (Josh Abrams), harmonium (Lisa Alvarado), percussion (Mikel Patrick Avery) and bass clarinet (Jason Stein), the many wind players who contribute lay their flowing chords and minimally invasive melodies. Seems a bit like open-form jam, with the patterns from the Natural Information Society providing sufficient form. Over time, however, this gradually dissolves in your own perception. Nothing to do with pulling you down, but instead gently lifting you off the ground.
Bennie Maupin
The Jewel In The Lotus
ECM