Multi-instrumentalist/composer Joe Brent, Grammy-nominated violinist Sara Caswell, and bassist Andrew Ryan reunite in their latest collection of string-centric, progressive jazz and improvised music STRUM

“9 Horses moves like a meticulously crafted Mahavishnu Orchestra, yet made for this century. …The group quickly pivots from one sonic realm to another, dancing between electric to chamber ideas with breeze and beauty.” – WBGO

One of the most influential and admired ensembles in progressive jazz and improvised music, the primarily plucked and bowed string instruments of 9 Horses returns with Strum, its most extraordinary collection yet. Bursting at the seams with creativity and virtuosity, this 67-minute instrumental epic serves as the antithesis to A.I.-generated music. Alongside the string trio as the album’s core, Strum also features 25 of the world’s leading instrumentalists performing eight tunes prominently showcasing acoustic, organic, human-made sounds.

“The record is called Strum because every tune prominently features the sound of a plucked or strummed instrument: mandolins, guitars, basses, banjos, pianos, and including instruments that usually aren’t thought of that way like violins, drums, even people. During the recording process I found myself progressively replacing synth textures with acoustic, organic sounds. There’s lots of sounds in here that are identifiably human-made: creaky gears, ambient room noise, breathing, chair squeaking, and lots of calloused fingers on strings and frets. Sounds like that make me feel like I’m in the room with the humans making the music, and remind me it’s humans making it.”

The album features guest contributions from today’s top musicians across a spectrum of genres: Sam Sadigursky (Philip Glass Ensemble), Kaoru Watanabe (Silkroad Ensemble), Brandon Ridenour (Canadian Brass), Jason Treuting (Sō Percussion), Mike Robinson (Railroad Earth), Jhair Sala (Pedrito Martinez), Victor Otoniel Vargas (Prince Royce), Samuel Torres (Shakira), Glenn Zaleski (Cécile McLorin Salvant), Blair McMillan (piano faculty at Juilliard, Bard, and Mannes), Emily Hope Price (Kishi Bashi), Anna Urrey (Ólafur Arnalds), Ben Russell (Arcade Fire) and Michael Bellar (John Scofield), among others, all of whom have collaborated with the members of 9 Horses previously. “Surround yourself with smart people and then everyone will think you’re smart too,” Brent quips, adding, “I’m hard-pressed to think of another album that features contributions from members of The Philip Glass Ensemble, Arcade Fire, and Shakira’s band.”

Once again 9 Horses delivers a recording massive in scale and ambition while sacrificing none of the hyper-meticulous care and construction they have become known for. As on 9 Horses’ previous albums, nothing really prepares the listener for a Sara Caswell solo at full steam. Her solo on ‘Americannia’ is a two-and-a-half-minute masterpiece of soulful tone and phrasing, restrained at first but steadily building in momentum and density until it crashes through any previous notion of what an improvising violin is capable of. Likewise, her gorgeous melodic improvisation on ‘Jenny-Pop Nettle Eater’, accompanied by strings and a choir (arranged and layered voice-by-voice by Sleigh Bells’ Kate Steinberg), demonstrates her peerless tone and inventiveness while exploring the entire range of her instrument; never showy or overplayed, always speaking with her unique voice whether on violin or her folk-inflected hardanger fiddle.

Brent’s lickety-split solo on ‘The House That Ate Myself’ that closes the album as well as his fiery duo improvisation with drumming ace John Hadfield on ‘Jenny-Pop Nettle Eater’ prove a deft counterbalance to Caswell’s magisterial lyricism. Jhair Sala and Samuel Torres’ percussion battle in ‘Gasparilla’ is an early album standout. And the pointillistic album centerpiece ‘Long Time Away’ features kinetic, ultra-precise hocketing between Brent, Caswell, Ryan, pianist Blair McMillan, and Sō Percussion’s Jason Treuting.

But it’s the core trio, with Caswell as the lead voice, that lingers in the memory at the album’s close. With primarily plucked and bowed stringed instruments – and a helluva lot of help – 9 Horses has once again created something truly magical and monumental.

Artist: 9 Horses

Album Title: Strum

Label: Adhyâropa Records

Release Dates: April 9th, 2024 (single: ‘Gasparilla’); April 30th, 2024 (single: ‘Röhrl’); May 14th, 2024 (single: Jenny-Pop Nettle Eater’); May 21st, 2024 (single: Long Time Away’); May 28th, 2024 (single: The House That Ate Myself’); June 7th, 2024 (album: Strum).

Purchase: https://9horses.bandcamp.com/album/strum

Performers: Joe Brent (acoustic and electric mandolin, acoustic and electric guitar, resonator guitar, baritone guitar, Nashville guitar, violin, bağlama, tenor banjo, vihuela, lyre, piano, celesta, synths and synth programming, kalimba, glockenspiel, percussion); Sara Caswell (violin, hardanger d’amore); Andrew Ryan (acoustic bass); Blair McMillen and Glenn Zaleski (piano); Michael Bellar (Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, Moog One, Solina String Ensemble, Juno-106, synth programming); Sam Sadigursky (alto and soprano sax); Anna Urrey (flute and piccolo) Hsuan-Fong Chen (oboe); Kaoru Watanabe (shinobue, koto, taiko); Brandon Ridenour (Bb and piccolo trumpet); Mike Robinson (pedal steel); Justin Goldner (electric bass); Joe Brent, Ben Russell, and Claudia Chopek (violins); Claudia Chopek and Beth Meyers (violas); Emily Hope Price (cellos); John Hadfield, Victor Otoniel Vargas, Jason Treuting, and Kevin Garcia (drums and percussion); Mike List (tabla); Jhair Sala (timbales); Samuel Torres (conga); Kate Steinberg (vocals); Lola Brullman (sampled vocal percussion)