Dawn of Midi is a trio that plays freely improvised music with a sparse, meticulous approach. Consisting of bassist Aakaash Israni, drummer Qasim Naqvi, and pianist Amino Belyamani, the group creates broad scenes with the minimal amount of tools. Their album
First (Accretions, 2010), features pieces whose focal points are timbre and character.
In a period when technique and novelty are highly valued in jazz,
First is initially striking because it doesn’t rely on either. The most appealing moments are those that contain minimal technical content and consonant harmony. The intensity of the music is not dependent on density or aggression, but instead through the sustaining and growth of collective musical characters or moods.
“The Floor” begins with lightly touched cymbals, single note peals on the piano, and flicks and taps of the bass strings. The band is content to allow this timbral concoction to rest, stationary, for several minutes, until, like an increasingly agitated flock of birds, the music swells instinctually. The drums hint at groove, the bass sputters more rapidly, and the piano allows simple chords to ring achingly.
The final track of the album, “In Between,” is grounded on a single note, played repeatedly and throughout several octaves over the duration of the piece. The repetition acts as a taut rope over which various moods can be hung. Angry thwacks increase in frequency, changing gradually into frenetic rumblings, which then dissolve into stable phrases tinged with joy. The effect is similar to watching the sky change on a day ripe with meteorological activity.
Using such an instinctual and natural take on musical structure, Dawn of Midi trods the path taken by many of today’s avant-garde jazz musicians. However, with deliberate sparseness and nods to consonant tonality, the music seems refreshingly unlike its counterparts. It leaves enough space for newcomers to feel welcome in an idiosyncratic genre.
