MADRE VACA

YUKON

Madre Vaca Records

Jarrett Carter, guitar/composer; Jonah Pierre, piano/keyboards/composer; Thomas Milovac, bass/composer; Benjamin Shorstein, drums.

Madre Vaca is a quartet of musicians who open this album with a swinging and straight-ahead presentation of the tune “Blue Bird” (for Charlie Parker).  Benjamin Shorestein brings excellence and power with his trap drums that propel this music forward.  Jarrett Carter, on guitar, races alongside the drummer, as though they are in a sprinting contest.  The bass of Thomas Milovac walks with determination throughout, adding sparkle and energy to the rhythm section.  Once the tone and tempo is locked in, swinging steady as a clock pendulum, Jonah Pierre brings his bluster and brilliance on the piano. Pierre glows brightly in the spotlight.  This quartet is on fire!

Carter’s guitar opens the next track, pensively.  The notes tumble over each other in a beautiful a ‘cappella way.  This guitarist knows how to squeeze the tenderness out of a ballad.  Once the others join him, they musically paint a scene called, “Portraits of a Swan.”  The melody floats along and I can almost see that regal bird gliding along a quiet lake. Carter has composed this pretty tune. At points, I’m confused by the choices made in the bass line that sometimes makes the chords sound dissonant. However, I suppose that’s really how life is, one minute harmonious and lovely, then in the next breath, challenging and discordant.

Speaking of the talented bassist, the title tune was penned by Thomas Milovac. “Yukon” has an unusual and driving bassline that double-times beneath the moderate tempo of the song.  It’s an engaging arrangement.

On a tune written for Wayne Shorter called, “They Say” composer, Jonah Pierre, steps to the keyboard and the quartet explores their music electronically. Their straight-ahead jazz slides into a more contemporary groove. A Milovac composition called “Slab City” steps into the fusion arena, with the groove moving like a boxer’s jab, showcasing plenty of unexpected breaks and Shorstein punching the groove into place.

Clearly, this is a group of musicians who can play it all. Three of them are notable composers on this album.  Madre Vaca was first formed by four teenagers in Jacksonville, Florida that included Pierre, Carter and Shorstein. In 2018, they made their debut recording with Milovac joining them on bass. The personnel has expanded and shrunk. They’ve released music as a quartet, an 11-piece unit and an octet.  This album called “Yukon” goes back to their roots of playing as a core quartet. They sound both comfortable and creative. It may be one of their best recordings to date.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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