MICHAEL DESSEN :: composer/improviser :: trombone/electronics

"A trombonist with strong roots in the acoustic tradition and a fondness for cutting edge electronic experimentation, Michael Dessen straddles the line between the avant garde and the accessible better than most.... Dessen's diverse approach towards composition encapsulates a range of moods and textures.... Incorporating a range of dynamics that veer from pneumatic funk to pointillist discourse, Between Shadow and Space is a compelling set that reveals additional layers with each listen."
- All About Jazz, Troy Collins. Full review...

"Between Shadow and Space represents a different facet of his work from Cosmologic or his excellent debut Lineal (Circumvention 2007) since Dessen makes substantial use of laptop electronics throughout. The results are fantastically subtle, imaginative extensions of his trombone's sound - feathery rufflings, pixelized halos, teasing curlicues and rasps - and he mercifully avoids the bleep-bloop cliches that sink a lot of similar projects. The title track is one of the CD's few purely acoustic pieces, and it's a killer: a funky elongated groove sliced-through with silences and repetitions, the effect being a kind of mournful stillness-in-movement. "Restless Years" and "Anthesis" similarly touch on the kind of metrical intricacy that Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa have made their own in recent years, and the presence of their frequent companion Tyshawn Sorey on drums cements the connection. Dessen's music, though, has a more ambiguous flavor, the players drawing back from the groove as often as they seize on it, even if both tracks end with triumphant intensity. Another side of Dessen's aesthetic is represented by the enigmatic multisectioned pieces "Chocolate Geometry" and "Granulorum," whose dreamy structures are full of irrational climaxes and moments of secretive self-communion. The disc is completed by a stealthy Dessen/Sorey free improv and a memorial for Alice Coltrane, whose drizzling, swarming electronics suggest a light streaming out of a stained-glass window. Aside from the fine work by Sorey and the leader, bassist Christopher Tordini brings fine rhythmic flair and emotional undertow to the music - listen, in particular, to the way "Anthesis" unfurls note by note out of his rich double-stopped introduction."
- Signal To Noise, Nate Dorward.

"On the title track... Dessen shows his skill at wringing a voluptuous and mournful tune from his trombone; he’s clearly capable of playing some fine music with the power out. But on five out of seven tracks, he doubles on computer, mostly using it to broaden his tonal and textural palette.... Records like this show how jazz can grow in the 21st century without losing its essential interactive and rhythmic characters."
- Dusted, Bill Meyer. Full review...

"Dessen's improvisations are unhurried but very exacting, seemingly behind the beat and teasing the tempo.... The introduction of electronics does attune one's ears differently... Tordini's introduction to “Anthesis,” with its plucked glisses and slippery finger-work, seems fleshed out by phantom digital blurts, Dessen's near-swagger hitting a puckered phrase that's altered, and Sorey's cymbal wash taking on the blur of samples. It's a quality of orchestration, but not by means one traditionally thinks about — altering one's way of hearing the instruments themselves, so that one almost pre-hears them. Suffice it to say Michael Dessen is doing a lot with a little."
- All About Jazz , Clifford Allen. Full review...

"[The musicians] examine Dessen's tightly wound modules of tones and stretch them out, flip them on their ends, pull them inside out. Though the players imbue these pieces with Free improv energy, the performances grow from inside Dessen’s concepts outward. Tordini contributes fat, grounding bass lines while Sorey pushes the tunes forward. He implies Swing figures, loosening their screws so they serve as another textural color, but never lose a sense of forward motion. Dessen really couldn’t ask for a better accounting of his knotty compositions."
- Cadence, David Dupont.

"The trombonist has a great sense of music, very lyrical and structurally complex while giving the appearance of lightness and openness.... The great thing about [Between Shadow and Space] is not only the unbelievable precision and skills of the three musicians, but also the interesting compositional power of all tracks.... An excellent [trio] debut: fresh, creative and open."
- Free Jazz blog, Stef Gijssels. Full review...

"Dessen, hailing from the West Coast, is a fine probing player as a leader, composer and conceptualist... While time can be spent lauding his technical facility or the group's heady interplay, more attention should be given to the pieces' underlying architecture. Dessen's liner notes give explicative heft to the music—the material draws its inspiration from sources artistic, poetic and musical—but they can be enjoyed as cerebral musings with more than a touch of heart, art for more than art's sake."
- All About Jazz, Andrey Henkin. Full review...

"Michael Dessen mêle l'improvisation persévérante que s'écoule dans le temps et en modifie la perception, une affluence de mélodies et de rythmes s'engendrant mutuellement (sur Anthesis), et l'improvisation plus statique que s'attarde sur la fabrique des sons et les écosse (sur Granulorum) chaque moment apparaissant comme une pollinisation par le vent ou une pollinisation par les insectes. Jouer: laisser libre cours à sa fantaisie, jamais gratuite, se doter de méthodes d'expérimentation, toujours gratuites. La configuration globalement acoustique du trio s'insinue de temps à autre entre les craquelures générées par l'ordinateur, là où se cardent les cordes de la contrebasse de Tordini, là où s'éparpillent les coups de Sorey ratissant se cymbales. Dessen lui-meme flâne au trombone, disposant d'un panache de sonorités dans l'expectative qui l'apparente a Grachan Moncur II. La subtilite l'emporte."
- ImproJazz (France), #158 Sept. 09, Alexandre Pierrepont.

De muziek van Dessen is een mengeling van naar hedendaags klassiek neigend experiment en volvette jazz die drijft op zijn power- en fantasievolle spel. In combinatie met de diepe, ronde sound en felle attack van Tordini en de geestige tegendraadsheid van Sorey levert dat een heel geïnspireerde en gevarieerde plaat op..."
- JazzEno (Netherlands), Mischa Andriessen. Full review...

"Trombonist Michael Dessen’s 2008 album for Clean Feed, Between Shadow and Space, was one of the finer entries in the label’s catalogue last year. Dessen is part of a burgeoning lineage of progressives on his instrument, appreciative of its inherent textural capabilities as much as its fortitude. In one of his occasional forays from the West Coast, Dessen presented some material from the album, as well as new pieces, at Barbès Sep. 9th [with Christopher Tordini and Dan Weiss]... At the Park Slope club, there’s not too much room for the musicians to situate themselves and, in this case, the three were set up in a single line across the ‘stage’. Perhaps this was strictly a logistical choice but it gave listeners a visual, as well as aural, opportunity to grasp how equitable Dessen is as a bandleader. He wasn’t playing straight heads with a rhythm section; in fact, the music would have been hollow without Tordini’s rich counterpoint or especially Weiss’ detail-oriented drumming. So the music was not quite linear, not quite hanging out in the ether, existing, as Dessen would say, between shadow and space."
- All About Jazz NY, Andre Henkin, 10/09 [Barbes, Brooklyn, 9/9/09]. Full review...

"The wonders of [Between Shadow and Space] are thankfully translated to the live stage, with Dessen utilising laptop alterations, but customarily in a subtle manner, organically re-curving his output. This set relishes extreme contrasts between near-silence and dense activity, moving from meditation to mash-up, without any sense of inappropriate behaviour.."
- All About Jazz, Martin Longley, 11/08 [Clean Feed Festival, Living Theatre, NYC, 9/19/08]. Full review...

"Over the ten years Cosmologic has existed, they've learned not only how to play high level original contemporary improvised music, but have attained a unique style few stable or working groups have attained.... The fearless attitude that this group exhibits in taking chances, yet remaining quite listenable, is a rare thing. Another aspect of Cosmologic is that they can play to younger audiences in the midst of discovery, while also appealing to the 50s-and-older set that craves both the "new wave" of the ‘60s and an updated non-electronic sound. Bravo to Cosmologic for making no compromises, playing some truly fascinating upper echelon progressive jazz music."
- All Music Guide, Michael Nastos. Full review...

"In today's world of all-star studio sessions and endless collaborative side-projects, longstanding working bands are growing increasingly uncommon. Cosmologic is a splendid example of such a rarefied entity.... Eyes in the Back of My Head is a richly rewarding statement from a group whose time for greater exposure is long overdue. Accessible yet forward thinking, this is contemporary West Coast jazz at its most heartfelt and adventurous."
- All About Jazz, Troy Collins. Full review...

"Free jazz upstarts from San Diego strike a balance between complex form and forceful abandon on their fourth outing.... Thoughtful writing and bold instincts make this a compelling listen."
- Jazz Times, Bill Milkowski. Full review...

"While the group's strongest antecedents are in free jazz, the composerly emphasis gives it a distinctive character, the pieces often favoring punchy ensembles and contrasting them with unusual moods and textures, including extended techniques.... The band's handling of these compositions is anything but static, making use of turbulent collective improvisations and intensive free blowing in order to both explore and break through the primary moods. It's well-designed and well-executed music that opens in a variety of directions."
- Signal To Noise, Stuart Broomer.

"They have been together for almost 10 years... That experience together shows in the extra-fine post-Bop they play so well. These are all originals... and there are many fine duets and ensemble passages here, as Cosmologic seems to be about the group and not the soloists. This doesn't mean there aren't strong solos.... [but] it is their great group sound and cohesiveness that recommends Cosmologic."
- Cadence, Phillip McNally.

"[Cosmologic's] perspicacity and ability to capture the unusual gives their music a rather exceptional focus.... Cosmologic does not let the written note be the guiding light. Their sense of juxtaposition dictates the course. Flow and chaos are consonants in constant flight that are navigated by surprise, and the band documents this consummately, making Eyes In The Back Of My Head a stirring listening experience."
- All About Jazz, Jerry D'Souza. Full review...

"The musicians mold a singular mindset, which is a component that radiates throughout this starkly inventive and superfine progressive-jazz statement. As a tight-knit and largely expressive unit, they come at you from all angles. It’s a highly-disciplined group, where they also specialize in loose-groove like expansions. Sparked by youthful vigor and a continual reengineering methodology, they fuse unorthodox time signatures with spirited soloing jaunts into the grand schema.... No doubt, this is a band for the new age of jazz. Their charismatic and rather impudent mode of delivery bears the mark of distinction. (Heartily recommended!)"
- JazzReview.com, Glenn Astarita. Full review...

"Does Cosmologic qualify as an avant-garde jazz ensemble? Not if you regard the genre as a refuge for self-indulgent musicians with a shared taste for cacophony. For all the improvised and willfully discordant music this 10-year old West Coast quartet is capable of producing, and reveling in, Cosmologic produces a sound so rich in mood-shifting maneuvers and sophisticated interplay that it defies labeling. Eyes in the Back of My Head, the band's latest offering, is intriguing enough to keep you guessing from start to finish.... In the end, the album, composed entirely of original music, says as much about Cosmologic's discipline and cohesiveness as it does about its freewheeling spirit."
- Washington Post, Mike Joyce. Full review...

""Extra Special Good: This jazz foursome are still together after more than a decade in a town that kind of ignores them, even though they consistently make some of the most vital and exciting music around. Abundant skills, ethereal communication, wild flights of chaos and sustained moments of fleeting beauty comprise this work of art that takes cues from the approach most often known as free jazz."
- CityBeat San Diego, D.A. Kolodenko. Full review...

"Clearly, time spent in a regularly working unit—rare these days—has served the writing and the playing of Cosmologic and its members very well."
- All About Jazz, Clifford Allen. Full review...

"Over the past decade, street-savvy, hard-hitting urban quartet Cosmologic has built it's high-impact, low-comfort-zone approach to groupwork that recalls Anthony Braxton's small-band intelligence and The Fringe's raw energy. The California-based band enjoys bumypy textures, aggressive stances, loose-wheeled (if not off-track) soloing and equal voices for horn and rhythm players..."
- All About Jazz New York, Fred Bouchard. Full review...

"There are groups that, despite playing materials whose roots are firmly planted in the grounds of definite genres, defy an easy tagging due to a multiplicity of motives.... Cosmologic... is precisely one of those units. [Eyes In The Back of My Head] positively stands on a jazz pedestal yet the junctures in which they don’t sound like that are countless, the exploitation of a vastly proficient improvisational sagacity shifting the solidity of the interplay more towards a coordinated kind of self-government than run-of-the-mill structures, with allowances to vamp-based vigorous drive.... A methodologically prominent record, indubitably rewarding for educated ears."
- Touching Extremes (blog), Massimo Ricci. Full review...

"Eyes in the Back of My Head is a densely rich album that focuses on the idea of exuberance from its opening.... The compositions of Cosmologic exhibit a rare maturity that re-gild the emblem of a modern jazz that, each day, searches to redefine itself."
- Guts Of Darkness (France). Full review...

"The prestigious label Cuneiform could hopefully bring to Cosmologic, with this new release, much deserved greater noteriety for the San Diego-based quartet, which has succeeded in producing better interpretations of free-jazz in a new and and updated way, filled with new and innovative meanings. The point of departure is always the composition, with well defined themes that provide a strong foundation for discipline and coherent improvisations that work well within the songs' architecture."
- Rockerilla magazine (Italy), Enrico Ramunni.

"Omdat de bezetting al die jaren onveranderd is gebleven, hebben de vier bandleden een manier van samen spelen kunnen uitdiepen die zeldzaam empatisch is. Cosmologic geeft bovendien een fris vervolg aan de rijke traditie van vrij geïmproviseerde muziek.... Intelligente muziek met schwung en humor gebracht....."
- Jazzeno (Netherlands), Mischa Andriessen. Full review...

"Il quartetto californiano Cosmologic, capitanato dal tenorsassofonista Jason Robinson (con Michael Dessen al trombone, Scott Walton al basso e Nathan Hubbard alla batteria), vanta un’attività decennale e giunge con ‘Eyes In The Back Of My Head’ al suo quarto saggio discografico. E ci arriva bene, come meglio non si potrebbe. Nell’ipertrofica produzione musicale jazzistica d’oggi, infatti, i dischi veramente buoni continuano ad essere non moltissimi, e ‘Eyes’, con le sue otto tracce, è indubbiamente uno di questi. Non è un lavoro ostico, al contrario è un disco di free sostanzialmente pacato ed accessibile anche ai non adepti, con riff riconoscibili e cantabili (molto belli i fraseggi e gli unisoni dei fiati), il sostegno creativo della sezione ritmica ed assoli ben calibrati nei quali il fuoco è sapientemente dosato nella cangiante intensità dell’architettura sonora."
- Kathodik (Italy), Paolo Cruciani. Full review...

"In conclusione, uno di quei cento ottimi gruppi che dimonstrano quanto il jazz sia ancora lontano dall morte, e che bisognerebbe sentire piu spesso anche dal vivo invece di cascare continuamente sui 'soliti noti.'"
- MusicaJazz (Italy), Sessa.

"Lineal features trombonist Michael Dessen in an accessible session - accessible to readers who follow the mainstream as well as to those who prefer the leading edge.... Musically, Dessen gives the trombone a good workout, demonstrating its flexibility as well as its lyrical qualities. He communicates with a rich tone and fluent animation... Recommended, Lineal provides many surprises through a program with wide appeal."
- Cadence, Jim Santella.

"The eight tracks on Lineal are intricate affairs, packed with detail and referencing a wide range of traditions and developments in contemporary jazz. In fact, they're so packed with detail that listening to the whole album in one go is quite a challenge, but a highly enjoyable one."
- Paris Transatlantic, Dan Warburton. Full review...

"[Lineal is] some terrific music, mostly hard-hitting and groove-based but quite varied..."
- Exclaim, Nate Dorward. Full review...

"Just like the name of the album, Lineal, the musical outburst of ingenious creativity is straight, to the point, and not in any way watered down by dispensable shenanigans... The music is clean and almost maiden-like in its truth, while never being ensnared by common places or naïve imitation."
- Tokafi, Fred Wheeler. Full review...

"Het is daarmee gelijke een proeve van het bijzondere talent dat Dessen heeft als trombonespeler en componist."
- Jazzenzo, Mischa Andriessen. Full review...

"Die Tracks sind reich an Uberraschungen und Wendungen, Stimmungen und Atmosphare, fliessen schnell dahin und nach 8 Tracks sind 53 Minuten sehr schnell vergangen. Dank der begabten, technisch versierten Musiker und ihrer intuitiven Sensibilitat ist "Lineal" ein grandioses, heisses Stuck Musik geworden, das nur unbedingt empfohlen werden kann."
- Ragazzi, V.M. Full review...

"Un punto in piu a 'Lineal' per la teoria, per la pratica e per il suo mentore che tanto collima con i bollenti spiriti esplorativi, dentro lo strumento e fuori nel mare aperto della musica, di un precoce George Lewis in piena era AACM."
- Sands-Zine, Sergio Eletto. Full review...

"One of Dessen’s general musical strategies is a kind of composting-up of the composed and the improvised; the written statements here are mulched in with and through the spontaneous ones, and vice versa, to fine effect. You can always tell them apart, but your ears relish their mix as gardener’s hands do the feel of her soil."
- Mike Heffley (blog). Full review...

"The music of Cosmologic is initiated by individual members and then doggedly worked and reworked until its internal logics are available for genuinely creative improvisation.... More than impressive."
- The Wire, Brian Morton.

"III (by Cosmologic) doesn't so much stand as a document of the history of jazz as a brochure for the infinite varieties of modern improvisation.... Incredibly rewarding... Sure, it takes a little work but, for every cerebral exercise the listener is required to work through, there's a funky-as-all-hell payoff."
- One Final Note, Daniel Spicer. Full review...

"The third and newest album by this talent-rich San Diego quartet is a gem of crisp ensemble-playing and finely calibrated improvisations."
- San Diego Union Tribune, George Varga. Full review...

"Die Blaser tauchen schon mal in folkloristische Gewässer ein und probieren sich an einem rudimentären Hauch von Albert Ayler, um dann mit der elektrischen Gitarre (die im Laufe des Albums gar mal rocken kann, zumeist aber wie Fred Frith freakig und amelodisch gespielt, seltsame Laute von sich gibt) zu vitalen freien Passagen aufzubrechen, als wolle diese Horde die Welt retten oder ein humoristisches Theaterstück illuminieren. Die dritte Zusammenarbeit des Quartetts (plus Gast) ist unvergleichlich, von technischer Fingerfertigkeit und tiefer Inspiration, und ganz und gar emotional versunken. Unbedingte Empfehlung!"
- Ragazzi, V.M. Full review...

"Senza troppe pretese i Cosmologic con il loro carattere solare costruiscono un lavoro in cui il jazz è solo la base di partenza per incontrare forme ed esperienze molteplici. Vi consiglio di riservare un ascolto per la primavera che verrà, “III” potrebbe essere la colonna sonora ideale per trascorrere giornate spensierate al cospetto di sole tiepido e tonificante."
- Sands Zine, Sergio Eletto. Full review...

"Ook het kwartet Cosmo-logic uit San Diego maakt frisse, spannende mu-ziek. Ze combineren de beste elementen uit ge-componeerde jazz en vrije improvisatiemuziek toteen geheel eigen klank."
- Jazz Flits, Hermann te Loo. Full review...

"...The most exhilarating band performance of the entire five days [of the Guelph Jazz Festival]... At times showing a deep fascination with Dave Holland's rhythmic structures and counterpoint improvisations, at times going far further outside, suspending harmony and rhythm entirely, Cosmologic covered a wide range, from intense grooves to raspy textures.... Cosmologic, it seems safe to predict, has wider attention awaiting it in the future."
- Musicworks Magazine, Johannes Volz, 4/06 [Guelph Jazz Festival 2005]. Full review...

"Cosmologic raised the bar for strength early in the festival."
- Exclaim!, Nilan Perera, 10/05 [Guelph Jazz Festival 2005].

"Totalmente lleno se registro el recinto para ver a los musicos, quienes actuaron bajo un ambiente tranquilo y placentero repleto de bohemia que contrasto con su jazz vanguardista lleno de energia..."
- El Mexicano, 2/07 [El Antigua Bodega de Papel, Tijuana, 1.20.07]. Full review...

"Zelden heb ik een ad-hoc formatie zo beheerst en geconcentreerd horen en zien spelen. Uit een schijnbaar minimaal gegeven werden suiteachtige muziekstukken gecreëerd. Prachtig opgebouwd met soloruimtes voor eenieder en - in de collectieven - een alert luisteren en reageren op elkaar."
- Jazz En Meer, Jacques Los, 4/07 [SJU Jazz Podium, Utrecht, 4.1.07]. Full review...

"Cosmologic made an impact with their hard hitting attack....Original compositions became the gateway for explosive interpretations that kept the pot boiling at intense heat throughout the set."
- Cadence, Frank Rubolino, 11/05 [Guelph Jazz Festival 2005].

"Intense peaks of clamorous excitement... Near-spiritual communication... The group dynamics of Cosmologic are in full effect, and the music is commanding. As a unit, these four musicians click."
- Cadence, Frank Rubolino

It’s a charge when a record immediately makes me say, "Oh yeah," and then maintains the level... Cosmologic embodies every value that hooked me on improvised music...."
- Los Angeles Weekly, Greg Burk

"With motivated and talented young musicians of this calibre, there's no doubt that jazz can be a creative force. Long gone are the days when things West Coast were considered pallid in relation to anything East Coast, and for any of the doubters out there, here's the proof positive."
- Coda, Marc Chenard

"Wildly spontaneous... Fascinating..."
- Los Angeles Times, Don Heckman

"Forget commercial labeling, this is real contemporary jazz."
- Jazz Weekly, Ken Waxman