It’s a good day to talk about John Kolodij. As part of the Iceberg trio, he has a new record out, which I recommend. But I also want to make sure you know about two remarkable releases he issued in 2020. If you missed them, I encourage you to remedy the situation immediately.

I started today’s sound adventure by listening to his newest LP, Final Thaw, issued by Astral Spirits. Here, he works in trio with Dylan Baldi on saxophone and Jason Gerycz on drums and percussion.  Kolodij sets the mood for the opening on each of the two featured pieces, and I settle in for a good listen.

After a spell, each piece moves into swifter, louder territory, in a free rock vein. There’s plenty of musical skill to go around. Just when you think Baldi is about to play a standard jazz riff, he hits an unexpected note, with unexpected graininess. Gerycz’s drumming can be quiet yet compelling, and even when he builds to a peak, he still executes each strike as a note. John Kolodij’s subtle chords and washes of sound keep the music traveling, even when he’s rumbling under the extended crescendo.  But I confess to a yen for guitar composers and it’s not enough Kolodij for me.

So for a more complete tribute, I return to two magnificent Kolodij releases from 2020.

First I contemplate Kolodij’s work on the split LP, Ezra Feinberg & John Kolodij, released by White Sepulchre (WSR 025). I focus on “Geometry of Space,” a nine-minute work that would make a great soundtrack for the newest images from space. Kolodij works with earthen patience, evoking sound sculptures through guitar, organ and electronics. When another instrument, Dylan Baldi’s saxophone, comes into the piece, a listener might feel a moment of concern. But not to worry. Baldi’s instrument folds into the music and enhances rather than overrides. This work is a  road well taken.

Then I turn to First Fire-At Dawn. The universe demands that this fine cassette from Astral Editions (AE013) be re-issued on vinyl. Cassettes are fragile, and this music should be preserved.

“At Dawn” is a delightful work that features banjo, birds, Anna RG on fiddle and Sarah Hennies on percussion. A satisfying piece that gives one a new perspective on the instruments, played as they are in the hands of these artists.

But what I really want to talk about is the mesmerizing piece called “First Fire.”

The notes permeate rather than penetrate. The sound takes the listener deeper and deeper. About halfway through, you may think you hear a tune, but it’s more like an ancient chant by be-robed supplicants in a stone underground chamber. By the second half, you know you are listening to deep composition. The piece closes with a light, sweet pelting of notes, like drops of water rolling off a leaf.

I hear Loren calling from the other room. “What are you listening to?”  I smile as it pulls him in. I had no doubt. I knew it would.

Keep it coming, John. Give us more.