Danish/Tanzanian, Aarhus-based jazz-fusion trio Athletic Progression flex their range and dexterity with their second studio album, cloud high in dreams but heavy in the air.
Composed of Jonas Cook on keys, Jonathan J. Ludvigsen on drums, and Justo Gambula on bass, Athletic Progression present a sound united around intricate groove and melody, a dynamic workout that makes them sound fuller than their three instruments. cloud high in dreams but heavy in the air was recorded over the course of one week, following three years of mostly improvisational live shows where the band tinkered and perfected the melodies that comprise the album’s 16 tracks. This improvisatory approach really shows, with most tracks coming across like a live recording in a smoky underground lounge.
This one has a little something for every fan of soulful-leaning, beat-centric music – flourishes of Flying Lotus (“DEBRA” and the Mobb Deep inspired, “Cooked Ones, Pt. II”) and Thundercat at his most virtuosic (“Osaka”), sample-ready head nodders (peep the J Dilla-esque opening bars of “ndion farr”), and plenty of upbeat, genre-bending nu-jazz flavors akin to contemporaries like Kaidi Tatham and BADBADNOTGOOD. An overall groove odyssey that’s primed to put Athletic Progression on the worldwide map.
