Since forming in 2012, Twin Talk has steadily drifted from the conventions of the saxophone trio. Saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi, bassist-singer Katie Ernst, and drummer Andrew Green have spent their time on the band stage together making their music elastic, spontaneous, and open, embracing new inspirations without stifling the improvisational heart of their work. While all three musicians are active members in the city’s bustling jazz community, each playing in numerous working bands, they’ve found a true collective voice as Twin Talk. They use live performances as opportunities to stretch—expanding on composed material and ditching set lists in favor of calling tunes on the fly.
Throughout popular culture, twins display a unique telepathy: Intuitively knowing each other’s thoughts, experiencing each other’s pain. Like an identical or fraternal pair, collaborative Chicago jazz trio Twin Talk has a staggering ability to converse quickly and lyrically. The band’s fourth album, Twin Talk Live, exemplifies all of these traits.
“Our album title Twin Talk Live is cheeky, since it's not a live record in the traditional sense,” explains bassist/singer Katie Ernst, “Rather than isolating each song for an ‘ideal’ take, we recorded rounds of mini sets to capture the spirit of our band in live performance. The resulting sound is freer, more improvised, mirroring the vibe of our live shows.”
The environment with its detailed acoustics adds another level of immediacy throughout all nine pieces. Ernst, tenor saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi and drummer Andrew Green provide each other with the right framework and spaces for explorations and combinations as all of their unexpected turns remain deeply melodic.
Building up quietly and maintaining a cool dynamic range, Twin Talk’s subtlety demands and rewards close attention. That includes the way Ernst makes minimal shifts in her bass vamps that direct Laurenzi’s lines and Green’s patterns on such pieces as “Always Left” and “Tricks.” Each member of the trio’s often muted movements give way to their multiple strengths. On “Nine,” Ernst’s voice that delivers compelling feelings without words or raising up the volume. Laurenzi conveys boundless imagination through his flights on “Ulerian” (a tribute to their Chicago colleague, bassist Matt Ulery). Green kicks up the energy of “Keep It Heated” while avoiding overt bombast.
They move beautifully as a unit, with bells and chimes adding a sense of haunting eeriness with Ernst’s arco lines blending with Laurenzi’s upper register on “North.” For the album’s closer, “Shorty,” Laurenzi, Ernst and Green’s flights sound guided by this entire album’s unfailingly upbeat mood. It’s the ideal encapsulation of Twin Talk’s spirit.
Twin Talk celebrates the new release with Chicago performances at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on September 28 and Constellation on October 4, followed by a Midwest tour.
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