Kevin Sun Trio

The Fate of the Tenor

Endectomorph

We have the confluence of two fierce tenor saxophonists releasing albums on the same label on the same day as documented on these pages. (hint -Jacob Shulman).  Moreover, they share the same bassist.  Yet, here our focus is on tenorist Kevin Sun, his sixth recording as a leader and his first live album as he leads the trio of bassist Walter Stinson and drummer Matt Honor. These sessions were recorded at the unlikely jazz venue, The Lowlands Bar in South Brooklyn during the summer solstice of June 2022.  The site was a comfortable environ for Sun who has performed there every Tuesday since September 2021, an ongoing periodicity into 2024. Such was Sun’s confidence for this date, the trio engaged without a setlist or sheet music, because they had the music memorized, having played it for the last few years. As you might expect when seeing Billy Strayhorn’s “A Flower Is a Lonesome Thing” on the setlist, the trio blends tradition with the kind of explorative improvisation that’s long been the hallmark of tenor saxophone trios. In this case, six of the seven compositions performed were penned by Sun.

One can’t help but enjoy the spirit of this endeavor. The Lowlands is essentially a neighborhood bar where folks go to drink and meet friends, not necessarily to hear jazz. That makes it so much more challenging for the musicians to gain audience attention but the fact the Sun and his trio have sustained their regular gigging is a testament to doing just that. They begin with “Involuted Blues,” an idea that took root as a meme in China, marking the hyper work ethic of the young Chinese (which this writer witnessed first-hand on a business trip to Beijing), reflected in the slower-than-faster rhythmic movement of the piece, bending inward as it unfolds with Sun and Stinson making their statements. “Elden Steps” is the longest piece at close to twelve minutes, takes its name partly from “Elden Ring,” the 2022 mega video game while the music expands the 16 bars of Coltrane’s pivotal “Giant Steps” into a series of sections, playgrounds for the trio. Sun’s technique embraces the full range of registers on the tenor and is especially intriguing in the higher realms as Stinson and Honor keep the engine stoked.

Stinson’s robust double bass leads us into “Karaoke Hero,” where often an unsober patron struggles through a song, to either jeering or assistance from his companions. (i.e. Travis Kelce at the KC Chiefs Superbowl Parade singing Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places). Here Sun soars above a rather threatening backing track with the support of his trio mates.  “Dance Bleak” is a showcase for each trio member, with Sun stepping confidently and briskly across a bed of percolating rhythms. A clear highlight here, one where you can easily envision a rapt, awe-struck audience is Sun’s a cappella intro to Strayhorn’s tender ballad, later proving that this trio can play with the utmost restraint, and given Stinson’s marvelous bass solo, lyricism too.

“Demonesque,” which begins with otherworldly arco work from Stinson, owes to the microtonal saxophone and compositional approach of Steve Lehman, represented here by the jolting entry of Sun and Honor following Stinson’s statement. Sun lets it all out here, blowing furiously through changing rhythms and meters, culminating in an outrageous vamp before segueing into his theme outro, “Lowlands,” nodding to the club with an infectious backbeat, perky melody, muscular pizzicato from Stinson, and free ranging blissful improvisation from Sun to take it out.

Not every neighborhood bar is blessed with this kind of exciting music.  Kudos to The Lowlands Bar and here’s hoping that more will take their lead and give talented musicians of this ilk a chance. – Keep reading.

Postscript.

As a basketball and diehard Boston Celtic fan, pardon the self-indulgence but I’d be remiss without included this from The Lowlands Bar owner John Niccoli – Spring 2023

Some venues are intentional while others are happenstance, and Lowlands wasn’t always a

place for jazz or its players.

 

The first time I met Walter, he was on a date with a regular from the bar. He was wearing a red

headband, a basketball jersey, and Nike Air Force 1s. It looked like he was vying for the

affection of the Chicago Bulls, much less a woman. I soon learned that he used his towering

height not to block shots, but to handle a standup bass.

 

A few months later he introduced me to Kevin and asked if they could do a happy hour gig at

the bar.

 

I figured, why not? I love jazz. Mom loves jazz. And if the bar patrons don’t like jazz, they can

go somewhere else.

 

This is Brooklyn, after all.

 

Fast forward a few years to the night this album was recorded. Kevin is wearing a green jersey

and playing like an ascendant Jason Tatum. Walter is dribbling apace and improvising agile

moves not typical of a player of that size and clout. And Matt is tying it all together, since a team

relies on a steady rhythm as much as it relies on a fast break.

Kevin, Walter, and Matt infused a new identity into Lowlands, and anyone there that night saw

the bar discover a new part of itself.

 

• Jim Hynes

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