BY: DIGITAL WAX MEDIA

 

The vibes are nothing short of palpable this month as we collectively gear up for the much-anticipated release of Entrance Music, the second full-length album from jazz trio Okonski. The group came through on with the release of “Dahlia” on Tuesday, their latest single and the second to be released in the lead-up to the project.

 

”Dahlia” amplifies the dynamic and rhythmic interplay between the members of Okonski, if only marginally. While the rich yet nuanced piano playing of Steve Okonski is arguably the heart of the group’s ever-evolving sound, it is a welcome development to get a stronger feel for just what drummer Aaron Fraser and bassist Michael Montgomery – invaluable members to the group in their own right – bring to the table in terms of contributing to the sound.

 

Fraser occupies a particularly clear spot within the mix, his warm bass drum and crisp rim shots pushing along the measures of the tune, while brisk, tasteful snare fills make for impeccable transitions between sections. Montgomery can also be heard to be delivery locked in, contributing to the natural atmosphere characteristic of the band’s music through restrained, intentional playing.

 

Oftentimes in music, choice is everything. Historically speaking, the musician who can manage to play the three “right” notes is going to make ten times the impact as the musician who can play 76 notes in the same span. This is a lesson that can be gleaned from the playing of icons like David Gilmour and Bill Evans, and its one that Okonski seem to exemplify every time they make their way into a recording studio.

 

One of the most rewarding characteristics of Okonski’s output up to this point is how much space the music itself is given to “breathe,” so to speak. This is particularly refreshing in the world of jazz, where musicians frantically scrambling and inevitably falling short in a mad dash for the certain something that made Charlie Parker so undeniably incredible has become the norm in certain circles.

 

The guys in Okonski do exhibit some agility through “Dahlia,” however, as textured chords are interspersed with sort of spotting, jabbing single-note run sequences that add a very interesting and unique flavor to the tune. Steve Okonski is also dishing out some of his most flavorful flourishes to date here, with a number of tastefully angular changes thrown in during the song’s verse sections lending a real zest to the proceedings.

 

Clocking in at just over three minutes, if there were any complaint to be lodged about “Dahlia” it would be that it’s extremely difficult to stop playing it, and that it makes the weeks ahead of us leading up to the release of Entrance Music seem like years. In any case, however, brilliant lead-off single “October” and “Dahlia” itself are as fine a pair of appetizers with which to tide listeners over as one could ask for.

 

With the recent release of Pale Jay’s Low End Love Songs (in both original and instrumental form), The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble’s new single “Las Olas”, and the latest singles from Okonski, the Colemine Records label appears to be on a run of unprecedented proportions.

 

Okonski’s Entrance Music is set to see release worldwide on February 28, 2025. Album singles “October” and “Dahlia” are now streaming everywhere.

 

OKONSKI (left to right: Aaron Frazer, Steve Okonski. Michael Montgomery) photo credit: Whitney Pelfrey