By Michael J. West | Published July 2026
Where to begin? Truly, there are so many layers at play on pianist-keyboardist Zaccai Curtis’ latest that singling out a starting point is an overwhelming task.
Whole lineages of history and style seem to be happening at once. Most obviously, the Afro-Latin grooves that Curtis so deftly explored on 2024’s Cubop Lives intertwine with ’70s vintage funk-rock fusion. No surprise there. Some of the directions it takes from that point are also obvious: The Mahavishnu Orchestra/Brecker Brothers pastiche that drummer Joe Dyson and guest guitarist Aurelien Budynek drive on the epic “Message” is almost too perfect. (It works, though, not least because of their convincing zeal.) Ah, but it’s buttressed by acid-jazz implications on one side (“A Patient Resolve”), trip-hop and lounge-jazz gestures on the other (“I Want To Feel the Way You Move”). Saxophonist Craig Handy peppers the opening “Joust” with Charlie Parker quotes, stamps “Mayci’s Dream” with ominous soul-jazz figures and even takes some fierce M-Base-like runs on “Last Call.” Talk about intensive.
Appropriately, with this variety of sounds and feels comes a variety of moods. The stylistic shifts should give a glimpse of where these fall. There is, however, a specific tension that recurs throughout the album: that between percussionist Brevan Hampden, whose congas (primarily) simmer and continually threaten to turn things up to a boil, and Curtis, whose Fender Rhodes (primarily) offsets Hampden with cooler currents. Each sporadically gains the upper hand — on the penultimate “Wellspring,” Hampden recruits a searing Handy and Dyson to his team, and even seems momentarily to whip up Curtis (on piano) — but neither keeps it for long. The interchange is fascinating, and fun.
There are many more games afoot on Sonoluminescence; we haven’t even touched the alternating percussive and sinuous work of bassist Luques Curtis (Zaccai’s brother) and Mike Boone, or the deliciously weird synth strains that weave across the tracks. These and more, reader, await your own discovery.
