Following the stunning debut album "Asteroida", the New York trio Borderlands with Stephan Crump, Kris Davis and Eric McPherson release a double CD with four improvisations which range in length from just under twenty to over forty minutes. Recorded during the coronavirus pandemic in New York in 2020, the music contrasts the New York mood of isolation with an uncommon passion for playing, intensity and musical intimacy.
Chicago/Berlin jazz critic Peter Margasak writes in the liner notes: “The works float, roil, swing, breathe, rush, and sparkle without every revealing any sort of hesitation or falling into a rut. The musicians don’t follow one another and they eschew glib reaction. Instead, they sit with the flowing ideas, thinking ahead about where the music could go. They play a long game with their spon- taneity. These four amazing explorations reflect a kind of total music.” He writes full of enthusiasm: “The Borderlands Trio engage in four mind-boggling explorations here – patiently, generously, and almost telepathically building a unified sonic architecture that celebrates the act of collective improvisation as profoundly, as beautifully, and as completely as anything I’ve ever heard.” McPherson turned 50 on the day of the session, and calls the experience “the ultimate birthday gift.”

Cover art and design: Jonas Schoder
Liner notes: Peter Margasak
Photos: Patrick Lambin, Jazzdor, Strasbourg, 2019

Music by Eric McPherson, Kris Davis and Stephan Crump. Recorded December 11, 2020, at The Samurai Hotel, Queens, NY, by David Stoller. Mixed by Stephan Crump at The Butler Plaza, Brooklyn, NY. Mastered by Liberty Ellman at 4D Studios, San Francisco, CA. Produced by Kris Davis, Stephan Crump, Eric McPherson and Intakt Records, Patrik Landolt, Anja Illmaier, Florian Keller. Published by Intakt Records.