The New York City Jazz Record
KnCurrent
(patrick brennan, Cooper-Moore,On Ka’a Davis, Jason Kao Hwang)
(Deep Dish)
Pierre Crépon
December, 2025 (page 18)

The four members of Kncurrent all have extensive roots in the New York jazz avant garde. Longtime composer, bandleader and saxophonist patrick. brennan moved to the city during the Loft era of the’70s. multi-instrumentalist Cooper-Moore made his first mark playing high-energy free jazz piano with saxophonist David S. Ware that same decade. Guitarist On Ka’a Davis’ discography opened with Donald Ayler’s enigmatic In Florence 1981 recordings. Back then, violinist Jason Kao Hwang was playing with his first band, Commitment, which included bassist William Parker. but besides established credentials, those résumés do not say a lot about KnCurrent’s very new music.

The album’s sequencing offers better pointers regarding what matters. A strong, whirling opening collective piece quickly gives way to a solo feature for Cooper-Moore’s diddley-bo, the only instrument he plays here. This homemade monochord is essentially a long piece of wood with two bridges supporting an upright bass string. It can be played with sticks or hands, is electrified, and its bending notes remind of its blues roots. This short solo provides an opportunity to familiarize oneself with the low, pulsating sound that is central to the group’s highly original sonic balance. In higher registers, Davis’ pedal-equipped guitar and Hwang’s “electronically enhanced violin” deploy controlled bursts of notes that can be crumpled, twisted or elongated at will. The precision with which Davis and Hwang work is in clear evidence on the album’s next, saxophone-less track: they are not playing instruments plus additional gadgetry, but integrated wholes.

When the full group reassembles, the music takes flight, notably on ṣumūd/دومص (Palestinian steadfastness). Although the tune emanates from the only purely acoustic instrument, brennan’s precise tone seems plugged directly into his colleague’s setups, reminding listeners that the dichotomy between acoustic and electric signals is an artificial one. The saxophonist skillfully identifies the points of departure needed to lift the music up another notch. tewatatewenní:io confirms that the group has found a unique palette, conducive to breaking new sonic grounds of the best kind.

This is powerful music for electrified strings and an alto saxophone, music that can make even jaded listeners pause and backtrack. Let’s, by the way, pause and backtrack: great new music featuring the diddley-bo, really? Absolutely.

Read Original Review at The New York City Jazz Record, p. 18