Waves, the second release from Tumble, the Nevada City, CA-based chamber jazz group centered around the unique sound of Robert Heirendt’s mbira (a/k/a the African thumb piano), features intricate, trance-like compositions and arrangements that combine folkish melodies and driving rhythms with an improvisational jazz sensibility. 

Recorded during bassist Bill Douglass’s three-year tenure with the band (2015 to 2018), Waves is very much informed by Douglass’s deep listening sensibility and seasoned musical artistry developed through decades of working with countless jazz masters, including  Mose Allison, Marian McPartland, and Paul McCandless.  Douglass’s bass work anchors the diverse set of music on Waves: propulsive, multi-layered originals by guitarist Sean Kerrigan, freer experimental compositions by reeds player Randy McKean and Heirendt, and innovative arrangements of jazz classics from Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter.  Throughout, Douglass’s virtuosity sets the standard for this collection. 

Kerrigan’s triptych “The Nuthatch” launches the album, a soaring intro segueing into an introspective solo from Douglass, with a Latin-flavored finale.  Kerrigan continues the dance with “Frisco,” a disco-tinged ode to the City by the Bay, and “Otter in the Water,” a trance-like mashup of multiple time signatures and floating melodies. The micro-tune “Unsuitable” and the bass feature “Sub Drift” exemplify Heirendt’s ability to stretch familiar grooves into unusual forms, enlivening the traditional sounds that inspire his writing.  McKean’s offering “Much Happy” uses a simple sing-song melody as a guide for a gentle, yet off-kilter exploration of tonality. 

Drawing inspiration from the groups Oregon, Codona, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and musicians such as John Coltrane and Thomas Mapfumo, Tumble has brought its delicate interplay of form and freedom to venues throughout Northern California.