| Jazz |
Michael Wolff once again surpasses himself, bringing us his Sunny Day.
Back in 2024, I paused to write about his excellent Memoir (review here). And once more, Wolff reinvents himself, surprising us with a kind of childlike playfulness in rhythm and an aesthetic brilliance in composition that feels both fresh and inevitable. Often, an album that begins with intrigue can fade into predictability. Not here. The pleasure of the musicians is audible in every track. Beyond Wolff’s sensitive pianism, the bassist seduces with warm, embracing tones, while the drummer brings invention and daring complexity, shaping a structure that is anything but casual. This is music that demands not only attention, but a willingness to step into Wolff’s vision.
Drawing inspiration from beatmaking and looping software, Wolff composed new pieces that he then sculpted for his devoted trio, bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard. The results are palpable throughout Sunny Day, a compelling example of jazz in dialogue with itself, stretching between the roots of tradition and the impulses of modernity.
The art of the acoustic trio, occasionally colored here with a touch of electronics, is seductive precisely because of the depth of sound these three artists command. Nothing feels forced, nothing betrays their mastery earned across a lifetime of artistry. There is a shared vision, a collective trust, a weaving of personal experiences into one unified work. And at the center stands Wolff—not only a pianist of sensitivity and fire, but a true composer, whose every new release deepens his oeuvre and strengthens his voice.
His journey, of course, has not been without struggle. This trio came into being as Wolff was emerging from the shadows of a life-threatening illness. Miraculously recovering from terminal cancer, he found himself returning to music with the support of those closest to him. Allison was among the first to visit, to play alongside him as he regained strength. It was Allison who suggested that Mednard join in a benefit concert for WBGO, and together the three became Wolff’s core ensemble. Present at his revitalization, they have remained his foundation, the trio at the heart of every project since, never losing stride.
That human story resonates deeply within Sunny Day, which unfolds as a tale of friendship, respect, and love between three artists. Wolff began with loop-based sketches, later expanded into full trio arrangements. Allison and Mednard recorded their parts at Bunker Studio in Brooklyn on May 18 and 19, 2024, playing without prescribed instructions, transforming the source loops into bold and freely improvised versions. Afterward, Wolff and engineer David tenBroek returned to the tapes, layering, extracting, amplifying, until what emerged was a sound-world both organic and electrified: a hybrid of live acoustic immediacy and digital pulse.
Among the highlights is a return to The News, a composition Wolff had once recorded with Christian McBride and the late Tony Williams. Its name references Washington Mews, the converted stables of Greenwich Village, but its spirit gestures toward a broader lineage, carrying a touch of the classic that calls to mind Miles Davis’ Nefertiti.
This is, unmistakably, the kind of album destined to claim a place in the evolving story of jazz. A meeting point of cultures and ideas, intelligent yet playful, nourishing in ways both subtle and striking.
Irresistible, luminous, and surely unforgettable when heard live, Sunny Day is not only a recording but an experience, a moment of joy and artistry shared by three musicians at the height of their collective powers.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, August 25th 2025
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Musicians :
Michael Wolff, Piano
Ben Allison, Bass
Allan Mednard, Drums
Track Listing:
1) Sunny Day 5:03
2) Quarantine Blues 6:13
3) Movie Night 6:29
4) Swamp 5:24
5) Streetcar 5:00
6) Flutter 6:18
7) The Mews 5:57
8) In My Life 4:10