PAPATAMUS REDUX

SELF RELEASED (RELEASED OCTOBER 10, 2025)

The music on Kate Wyatt’s second releasecan best be described as impressionistic and graceful. The way in which the trio of Kate, bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Louis-Vincent Hamel perform the eleven selections can best be described as empathetic and intuitive. The overall listening experience of Murmurations can best be described as subtle and mesmerizing. Wyatt chose the title Murmurations to reflect the way in which the trio, like a flock of starlings, moves and breathes as a single organism deeply attuned to the moment. The best moment for me on the recording is the opening tune — a wonderfully creative version of Kurt Weill’s “Mack the Knife,” blending Ran Blake’s sense of noir with Paul Bley’s unique and knotty phrasing. The title track continues to explore the ethereal nature of music with Wyatt adding some percussive touches to her playing and Vedady’s deep and resonant bass solo. Except for “Finding,” a rhapsodic piano solo composed by Wyatt, the remaining tunes, written by trio members, tend to follow the same format — simple and pleasant melodies transformed into immersive sonic adventures in the style of Brad Mehldau and Fred Hersch. Like a modern day Bill Evans trio, Wyatt, Vedady and Hamel weave their way through reflective pieces such as “Sunrise,” “Music is Beautiful” and “Patience,” while adding a subtle Latin feel to “Coruscation” and a strong funky beat to “Going to the Sun.”  Although I was taken with the trio’s interpretation of “Mack The Knife,” the remaining tracks had me yearning for more grit than grace.

BOTTOM LINE:  The introspective nature of the music of Murmurations may not jump out and grab your attention, but like the murmuration of starlings, it will hold your interest as the trio of pianist Kate Wyatt, bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Louis-Vincent Hamel soar over ten originals and a must hear version of “Mack the Knife.”