Fingerprint is saxophonist Jason Robinson’s third album as a leader and features a remarkable assortment of California-based improvisers. Centered on Robinson’s quartet, Fingerprint debuts a collection of original compositions influenced by an eclectic array of influences. Drawing on Ellingtonian and Strayhorn-esque melodic and harmonic sounds, Gil Evans-inspired voicings, as well as post-bop and post-60s angularity and chromaticism, Robinson’s compositional and improvisatory approaches embody the hybridity and pluralism being pioneered by today’s figures in creative music. Robinson’s quartet features long-time collaborators: Detroit-born pianist and saxophonist Kamau Kenyatta, bassist Rob Thorsen (who plays with Robinson in the transnational group Cross Border Trio) and drummer Nathan Hubbard (who plays with Robinson in Cosmologic). This quartet is expanded on two tracks, which feature critically acclaimed pianist (and composer) Anthony Davis and an extended horn section. The centerpiece of the album is “Silence Becomes a Roar,” a complex, multi-section piece featuring a 10-piece ensemble.
“Brav und eingängig sind die falschen Begriffe. Intensität und Intimität treffen es viel genauer... Unbedingte Empfehlung.” ["Good and unusual are the wrong terms. Intensity and intimacy meet it more exactly... Absolute recommendation.]
-Ragazzi
"Robinson is the charismatic and spiritual leader of the pack, but by no means an egomaniacally obsessed focal point. His sound is authorative and luminous, his tone shining and shimmering, his lines fluent and analytical – and yet, there is always enough space for long solo passages by others, such as for Michael Dessen and his regal trombone performances."
-Tokafi