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Rhombal

by Stephan Crump

supported by
jazzrob
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jazzrob I've had this idea for more than a few years now that bass players seem to keep making the most wonderful, thought provoking jazz music. Stephan is absolutely in line with a generation of players, like Drew Gress, Matt Brewer, Mats Eilertsen and Scott Colley. Great tunes, great improv and the ability to get great performances from their fellow musicians.
John Cratchley
John Cratchley thumbnail
John Cratchley Illuminating to think that Ellery Eskelin is the elder statesman in this quartet...his playing brings an extra dimension to this music (listen to any of his wonderful albums on HatArt and also 'Jazz Trash'!)...but it is a killer combo with verve and dynamism to spare...right on the nail...
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  • Streaming + Download

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Full-sized gatefold with artwork by Andy Friedman with heavy-weight double vinyl. Mastered by Scott Hull on his Neumann lathe (his instrument for decades). We spread the music out over four sides to maximize the sound and make sure it's everything it could be.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Rhombal via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      $27 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Eco-friendly, beautiful gatefold wallet including band photo and original artwork by Andy Friedman

    Includes unlimited streaming of Rhombal via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Features all four Limited Edition Vinyl LP releases from Papillon Sounds, including "Thwirl" and "Outliers" by Rosetta Trio, the "Rhombal" Double LP, and "Rocket Love" solo album on clear vinyl, all at a discounted price.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Rhombal via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Sheet Music

    All nine original compositions from the Rhombal album, in PDF format. Includes B Flat horn parts.
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  • T-Shirt/Apparel

    Back in stock, by popular demand…the Rhombal T-Shirt.

    Some specifics about the material…

    The Bella + Canvas 100% combed and ring-spun cotton t-shirt feels soft and light, with just the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and the unisex cut is flattering for both men and women.
    ships out within 2 days

      $23 USD or more 

     

  • 11 oz. white coffee mug with original Rhombal title art
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      $17.50 USD or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 13 Stephan Crump releases available on Bandcamp and save 15%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Slow Water (24bit Hi-Res 96kHz), Slow Water, Rocket Love (24bit Hi​-​Res 96kHz), Rocket Love, Pipestone - music from the film, Outliers, Rhombal, Thwirl, and 5 more. , and , .

    Excludes subscriber-only releases.

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Grovi 08:20
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Skippaningam 04:54
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Loose Bay 07:35
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Tschi 05:56
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Birdwhistle 10:28
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about

A two-horn, bass and drums quartet convened around a body of work written for Crump’s late brother. The debut album by this group, featuring veteran explorer Ellery Eskelin with brilliant young trumpeter Adam O'Farrill in the midst of a deep rhythm team chemistry drummer Tyshawn Sorey and Crump have formed over more than a decade of collaboration.

”bristles with the unexpected and the lively” - Downbeat (****)

“his compositions possess an austere, haunting resonance” - Stereophile (****1/2)

“Best of 2016” - Los Angeles Times

“Best Jazz of 2016” - PopMatters

“constantly fascinating” - NextBop

“excellent” - New York Times

“highlights the true democratic principles of jazz” - AllAboutJazz

”(Crump’s) instrument thrums like it’s strung with coils of ship’s rope, booms like a whale’s heart, drones like a tree moaning in the wind” - NYC Jazz Record

“wonderfully unclassifiable…sounds old and new at the same time” - StepTempest


“solemn, spiritual, and, ultimately, celebratory” - Bandcamp

“O’Farrill and Eskelin engage in astute exchanges teeming with inventive lyricism, investing Crump’s harmonious melodies with a resolute emotional core” - Point of Departure

my statement about the album, from the press release:

Rhombal is not about sadness. Much more, it’s a commemoration of a death well-confronted, of a spiritual evolution I witnessed in my brother during our last days together, and of how close we left each other after what had been, for many years, a very troubled relationship.

In putting a band together, I usually look first to the spirits involved rather than particular instruments, although after years of exploring with my all-string Rosetta Trio and numerous duo projects, I knew I wanted to deal with drums and breath. I also wanted the collective freedom and challenge that comes from omitting a chordal instrument, and at times to find how the band, itself, might be that instrument.
Tyshawn and I have a deep musical and personal bond that reaches into more than a decade shared onstage and on the road, mostly with Vijay Iyer's trio and quartet. I met Adam while on faculty at the Banff creative music summer program in 2013 and immediately connected with him as a person, plus I couldn't get enough of hearing him play his horn. Ellery I'd admired from afar for years before introducing myself with this project in mind. I thought he and Adam might make an inspired team and was drawn to the generational breadth they would bring to the group. Hearing their sounds together as they warmed up before our first rehearsal, I was knocked back by the vibration. It almost doesn't matter what notes they play.
In the name "Rhombal" there is a bit of "rumble," evoking a scrum or sparring tangle, but even more, the idea of developing geometries, of shape-shifting while maintaining a powerful structural integrity and functional equality.
I began writing this music in the last few months of my brother's life, as he battled an extremely rare and aggressive sarcoma. The writing flowed through a year after his passing and was shaped by the chemistry of the band as we began to rehearse and perform. Then, this winter, we recorded the album in a two-day studio journey that was one of the most profound and moving experiences of my life, and which left me with the feeling of a new brotherhood, just formed.

credits

released September 13, 2016

Ellery Eskelin • tenor saxophone
Adam O'Farrill • trumpet
Tyshawn Sorey • drums
Stephan Crump • acoustic bass

recorded January 20 & 21, 2016 at The Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, NY
recording engineer: Aaron Nevezie
assistant engineer: Todd Carder
mixed by Ron Saint Germain
mastered by Scott Hull
art and design by Andy Friedman
photography: Craig Marsden
executive producer: Metcalf Crump
all music by Stephan Crump
Crumbletones Music BMI
a Papillon Sounds production

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about

Stephan Crump Brooklyn, New York

Memphis-bred, Grammy-nominated, Echo Award-winning bassist/composer Stephan Crump is an active bandleader with fourteen critically-acclaimed album releases in addition to numerous film scoring contributions. Known for transforming his instrument into a speaking entity of magnetic pull, his focus on creative instrumental music has led to collaborations with many leading lights of his generation. ... more

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