Best known for his own working trio with Joe Sanders and Justin Brown, as well as his work with The Clayton Brothers Band, pianist Gerald Clayton expands his borders a bit here with some ambitious and experimental sounds as well as artist combinations. A spoken word by Carl Hancock Rux on the title track portends more moods to come, and they flow like lava, with Gretchen Parlato and Sachal Vasandani blending their enriching voices on material like “Some Always” and “Like Water.” Horns provided by Ambrose Akinmusire/tp, Logan Richardson/as and Dayna Stephens/ts also bring extra hues and depths on most of the pieces, most satisfyingly on “Future Reflections,” while the trio tunes like “Deep Dry Ocean” and “Shadamanthem” spotlight the tight and yet elastic interplay between Clayton’s fingers the “supporting” cast. Lots of ideas are flying around here, and you’ll want to take a few listens to each tune to appreciate them all.
Concord Records