July 22-28, 2004

musicpicks

Sticks and Stones

JAZZ

Chicago's jazz avant-garde has always teemed with new perspectives, thanks to a precedent set by such organic institutions as the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. So Sticks and Stones is hardly unique in its fusion of African rhythms, shadowy atmospherics and polyphonic free improvisation. Yet this trio manages to sound as if it's arriving at uncharted destinations, and do so without obscuring its preponderance of influences. Shed Grace, their newly minted debut for Thrill Jockey, works best when highlighting contrasts — as on the title track, with a glassy surface under which nonrhythms insistently churn. Bassist Josh Abrams brings to the table a compositional agility and nimble pulse, and drummer Chad Taylor evinces his gift for layering textures. Matana Roberts applies a fluid and flexible approach to the alto saxophone — and, more significantly, a willingness to sublimate her sound in the mix. The result is a group that functions like an equilateral triangle, but with a half-dozen extra corners.

Thu., July 22, 8 p.m., $12, Slought Foundation, 4017 Walnut St., 215-222-9050.

—Nate Chinen