WBGO previews THE SUSTAIN OF MEMORY

"​Sun swings for the fences with his sense of form and scale." — WBGO

Nate Chinen at WBGO highlighted The Sustain of Memory for their weekly Take Five post. Read the full preview here.

Take Five: Hear the Latest Music From Kassa Overall, Dan Weiss, The Westerlies and More

By Nate Chinen, WBGO
November 11, 2019

Kevin Sun, “The Rigors of Love: II”

Tenor saxophonist Kevin Sun made an assured solo debut last year with Trio, which put a personal spin on a familiar format. His new album, The Sustain of Memory, just out on Endectomorph Music, represents a significant ramping-up of ambitions. It’s a collection of three extended suites, spread over two discs, and Sun swings for the fences with his sense of form and scale. His rhythm section throughout includes pianist Dana Saul; bassist Walter Stinson and drummer Matt Honor appear on the title suite and one called “Circle, Line.”  

​“The Rigors of Love,” the most immediately dynamic of the three suites, swaps in Simón Willson on bass and Dayeon Seok on drums, and adds trumpeter Adam O’Farrill. On the track above, the suite’s centerpiece, be sure to hang in long enough to hear the improvised back-and-forth between O’Farrill and Sun, around 7:00. O’Farrill and both rhythm teams will rejoin Sun for an album-release show at the Jazz Gallery this Friday.