Vanishing Bloom | Outside the Changes, Q3 2025
My new favourites from the rest of the world: Taborn / Cline / Gilmore, Dawn Clement, Jacob Garchik, Jake Baldwin, & more
It's time for Outside the Changes, gathering my favourite new non-Canadian albums that I wouldn't otherwise cover.
We've already done two editions of this series: one for the second quarter (April, May, June) and one for the first. Today, we look back at July, August. and September.
I have 12 albums for you today, in alphabetical order by artist name, plus three honourable mentions:
Craig Taborn, Nels Cline, & Marcus Gilmore: Trio of Bloom
I notice two kinds of high-profile trio albums coming out lately. This is my favourite out of one kind, and down below we have my pick of the other. This series has covered Cline and Gilmore as leaders already: as for Taborn, I met him when he played solo piano for Coastal Jazz's IronFest 2023. They convene for an adventurous opus here. We have an computerized re-up of Wayne Shorter's "Diana" from Native Dancer, a freebop freakout titled "Why Canada" (no question mark, so it's not a question eh!), and much more.
Dawn Clement: Delight
Origin Records
Clement made last edition's honourable mentions; in just the first three tracks here, she goes from fiery modern piano trio leader to utterly satisfying Monk interpreter to vocalist. For the rest of an album that flies by, she alternates between singing with a touchingly honest capture and continuing to bring the heat on keys. I dig "Tokudo", a tune from the bassist Williams that he's previously played with the likes of Charlie Rouse and Kenny Barron.
Jacob Garchik - Ye Olde 2: At the End of Time
Of the two albums that came out this quarter featuring six guitarists, this one's my jam. The trombonist Garchik has assembled two rocking quintets to complete the epic prog-story. He belongs to two up-and-coming disciplines in our "industry": the D&D/RPG-informed worldbuilders (see Charles Chen with Building Characters) and the Substackers. Sci-fi and physics maximalism as a way to be cooler and/or nerdier than the tech villains? I'm here for it.
Jake Baldwin: Vanishing Point
Oregon-raised, Minneapolis-based trumpeter Jake Baldwin was a brand-new discovery for me at the end of this summer. His quartet (guitar, electric bass, drums) hits me right where I'm at. The opening title track rocks, and "Space Heater" will go down as a tune of the year for me with its insistent sweetness and subtle edge. In the (is it too easy to say) Midwest Emo of it all, riffing hooks and twisting knives, right through to the positively Ron Miles placement of "You Are My Sunshine" at the end, I'm immersed.
