The lineage of the chordless saxophone trio is one of open vistas and exposed scaffolding, traditionally utilized to grant the soloist boundless harmonic freedom. On ‘Biotic’, bassist-composer Shawn Lovato radically alters this equation. Rather than using the spacious instrumentation to elevate a single protagonist, his third album as a leader compresses the frame into an egalitarian workspace where form, geometry, and stark physical momentum operate on equal footing. Recorded by Ryan Streber at Oktaven Audio, the release leverages the distinctive alchemy of three distinct voices (Lovato, tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, and drummer Henry Mermer), to chart an austere yet deeply expressive path through contemporary improvisation.
Lovato’s roots in underground rock and metal inform the foundational energy of the record, replacing classic jazz elegance with a sense of architectural friction. The opening statement, “Spling,” introduces this dynamic immediately as Lovato’s hard-plucked double bass and Laubrock’s sharp, rhythmic saxophone phrases lock into onomatopoeic unison before splintering into separate, parallel trajectories. Mermer avoids literal timekeeping, anchoring the shifts through precise metric placement and abstract punctuation. This rhythmic elasticity transforms “Frequent Flyer” into a multi-tiered puzzle; a driving, buoyant bass movement propels the underlying framework while Laubrock delivers an independent, elongated lyricism that intentionally floats above the propulsion.
The shorter configurations on the album abandon conventional ensemble roles entirely, stripping the music down to sheer kinetic instinct. “One Step from Anything Easy” features an intimate, unsettled dialogue where Lovato applies the bow to generate coarse, scraped textures alongside Laubrock’s breathy, almost silent woodwind expressions. The omission of a traditional timekeeper forces the listener to confront the weight of the silence between notes. A similar cyclical unpredictability governs “Patience and Hydration,” the first composition penned for this specific unit, which orbits a shared gravitational pull through cascading, high-energy polyrhythms that blur the boundary between planned design and immediate discovery.
The second half of the recording centers on a significant emotional shift. Derived from a larger suite commemorating the tragic loss of the leader’s mother, “Inexorable” strips away any sense of intellectual detachment in favor of genuine human vulnerability. The piece radiates an aching fragility, relying on the quiet, conversational warmth between Laubrock’s searching tenor lines and Lovato’s emotive pizzicato to articulate grief with immense dignity.
The longest piece, “Dirt Doesn’t Burn,” begins as an isolated soliloquy in the lower register of the bass. Lovato lets the strings ring out and overlap, slowly building a monolithic presence before Mermer enters with a rolling, sculptural rumble that completely alters the spatial awareness of the room. The record culminates in the stark point-counterpoint of “Parachute Bloom,” a concluding duet where bowed classical sensibilities meet buzzing saxophone overtones, settling into an atypical, hypnotic stillness. Mastered by Scott Hull at Masterdisk, the technical production values preserve the immediate, acoustic realism of the performance. ‘Biotic’ is memorable because it deliberately avoids comfortable answers, showcasing a trio that treats the avant-garde not as an academic exercise, but as a living, breathing organism.
Learn more links:
Shawn Lovato
Endectomorph Music
Bandcamp
