Steve Hirsh: Root Causes

MAHAKALA MUSIC (RELEASED APRIL 26, 2025)

There is something organic about drummer Steve Hirsh’s Root Causes. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, organic can be defined as having the characteristics of an organism, developing in the manner of a living plant or animal. That is what Root Causes is all about (and perhaps the thought behind the title). Hirsh, along with pianist Eri Yamamoto and bassist William Parker create music that organically develops through four freely improvised pieces. Each piece begins with the planting of a musical seed that grows into full bloom with a range of sonic possibilities. The trio plants the seed for “We Went Finding,” while “Root Causes” and “Riptide” grow from Parker/Hirsh duos and “Gamut” takes root in Yamamoto’s somber opening statement. Members of the trio demonstrate their unique ability to nurture and care for the growing musical organisms with a variety of skills they have developed during their careers — Parker’s ability to shift from driving pizzicato bass lines to free flowing bowing; Yamamoto’s calming to explosive touch; and Hirsh’s adeptness at shaping the sound with rhythmic sensitivities. The growth of each of the four tunes is fertilized by the way in which all three musicians listen and react to one another. For example, Yamamoto picks up a fragment from Parker’s bass line to resolve “We Went Finding.” On “Root Causes,” the three unknowingly land on a snippet from Thelonius Monk’s “Criss Cross.” Hirsh had the good fortune to be part of an ensemble called Spark with Yamamoto, Parker and saxophonist Chad Fowler (check out Sparks Live at the Vision Festival XXVI on Mahakala Music.) “The interludes where Chad laid out were always intriguing to me, and Root Causes is further exploration of those moments,” notes Hirsh. The results will also be intriguing to any fan of free jazz, or should I say, “Organic Jazz!”

BOTTOM LINE: Drummer Steve Hirsh, pianist Eri Yamamoto and bassist William Parker
developed a synergistic approach to free improvisation as members of the quartet Spark with included saxophonist Chad Fowler. Root Causes gives the trio an opportunity to continue the musical relationships they established in that group with four freely improvised pieces that grow organically into a glorious bouquet of interweaving sonic colors.