Sun Prints by Matt Booth

Matt Booth: upright and electric bass
Steve Lands: trumpet
Sam Taylor: tenor saxophone
Oscar Rossignoli: piano and keyboards
Peter Varnado: drums

"Sun Prints" is bassist Matt Booth’s first album comprised entirely of original compositions, an outgrowth of the experience and confidence gained from years of working in collaborative and co-led projects. The album notably does not present itself as a deliberate bass player led album- there are limited bass solo features, with the focus put intently on the compositional and unified ensemble sound. All the songs were either composed or completed in the initial phases of the pandemic shutdown of 2020. The free time offered by the work stoppage provided Booth the ability to structure and arrange these songs in a more nuanced way than on previous recordings. The compositions are texturally rich and dynamic, occasionally crossing over to the avant-garde but driven by melody and propulsive grooves.

The recording session took place at Dockside Studios, the remote and beautiful nature of which allowed the band the time to explore the compositions, and the focus to skillfully refine the arrangements. The album is also a showcase for a peer group of forward thinking composers and improvisers in the New Orleans scene. Aside from Oscar Rossignoli, pianist alongside Booth in the collective trio Extended, the personnel are new collaborators. Special note should be made of producer, Brian Seeger – this is the third project he has worked on of Booth’s, and his efforts both in the studio and in post-production are invaluable. Several of the songs feature sound design sculpted by Seeger and Booth, and “Interlude” features Seeger on the pedal steel guitar.

The music on "Sun Prints," like Booth’s musical taste, is freewheeling and varied, but of a unified aesthetic. There are traces of contemporary jazz of recent decades (“In Tongues” and “Happenstance”), groove based head-bobbers (“Ice Bear” and “Time to Spare”), shades of hard bop (“For Your Consideration” and “Old News”), a tribute to Miles-era fusion (“Optimal Chunks”), and heartfelt melodic ballads (“Otero Canyon” and “Distancing”). The songs skew towards the shorter side, relative to the jazz genre, resulting in an album that is wholly accessible, while unpredictable. The album unfolds in a way that keeps the audience guessing, and the detailed production will reward multiple listens.

Since his arrival in 2015, Booth has been an active participant in the jazz and creative improvised music scenes in New Orleans, as well as a touring member of celebrated organist/pianist John “Papa” Gros band. With the collaborative piano trio Extended, Booth has released four albums and toured the country. As a result of their last release, Without Notice, Offbeat Magazine nominated Booth for the 2022 best bass player award. The other project that he leads, Palindromes, features original compositions of Booth’s alongside works of Paul Motian and others that veer towards exploratory group improvisation. Oscar Rossignoli, a native of Honduras, is an in demand pianist and recording artist, and can be seen playing alongside John Boutté, Herlin Riley, Joe Dyson, and Victor Goines. Trumpeter Steve Lands has made a name for himself flexibly backing pop acts like Maroon 5 and PJ Morton and jazz artists like Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Amina Figarova. Native New Orleanian Peter Varnado is both the Director of Applied Music and a drum instructor at Tulane University, and has accompanied Nicholas Payton, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, and Sasha Masakoswki. Saxophonist Sam Taylor has recently relocated to Chicago to continue his studies at DePaul University, and has performed with Marcus Roberts, Jason Marsalis, and Roland Guerin.

mattboothmusic.com