10 Seconds: Max Luthert
1. Bjork - Unravel (2'28" - 2'38")
From Bjork - Homogenic (1997)
"Björk is my Queen and this tune is so beautiful it hurts. So much fragility and vulnerability but with equal amounts of strength and poise too. The way she pushes and pulls her phrasing is other worldly. There’s everything in all that she does."
2. Wayne Shorter Quartet - Pegasus (7'07" - 7'17")
From Wayne Shorter Quartet - Without a Net (2010)
"You can pick any 10 seconds of this band and it’ll be a well of colour and surprise, but this moment encapsulates all the joy of the band. The phrase played by Wayne is soaked in attitude and the rest of the band are audibly losing their minds. If I could only listen to one person’s compositions and playing for the rest of my life I’d say Wayne Shorter every time."
3. Autechre - Os Veix3 (4'21" - 4'31")
From Autechre - Oversteps (2010)
“When I was introduced to Autechre and to this album specifically I felt like I’d found a home in electronic music. They combine mad sound design, super complicated rhythmic structures with really beautiful moments. In this piece I love the super harsh/industrial percussive sounds that feel like they’re being sequences algorithmically combined with beautiful pads and harmony underneath."
4. John Coltrane - The Father and The Son and The Holy Ghost (6'23" - 6'33")
From John Coltrane - Meditations (1966)
"This is a track that symbolises how my taste in music has changed, and continues to change. The first time I listened to this was in the back of my Mum’s car on the way to my Gran’s when I was about 16, and I’d bought the CD without knowing anything about it. It scared the shit out of me and I sat in silence for the rest of the journey."
5. Sélébéyone - Gagaku (2'50" - 3'00")
From Sélébéyone - Xaybu: The Unseen (2022)
"Despite rarely knowing what the heck is going on with his music, Steve Lehman is a huge influence for me. I saw him play with trio at the old Charlie Wright’s and was lucky to be at the same festival as this ensemble, Sélébéyone once and raced to watch their set and both times my face was fully melted. I love the drop and synth line here and the vibe brought by Steve Lehman and Damion Reid, who is probably the musician I’m enjoying listening to the most at the moment, is massive."
6. Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Time Off (3'12" - 3'22")
From Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Ugetsu (1963)
"Art Blakey’s ride cymbal is so intense throughout this piece but it never seems more intense than in the transition from Freddie Hubbard’s solo in to Cedar Walton’s. There is no doubt who’s leading the time, it sounds like you’re being carried away in a jet stream."
7. Milton Cordona - Ebioso (1'33" - 1'43")
From Milton Cordona - Bembe (1986)
"I’ve always been fascinated by rhythm, and music that has multiple rhythmic elements that are intertwined is really special. There’s something very grounding about music that is solely vocals and percussion and this album is a beautiful example of that. Here is where the lead drummer starts to play out and the way Milton Cardona and the backing vocals sit in the groove is amazing."
8. Jeff "Tain" Watts (with Kenny Garrett) - Sigmund Groid (7'59" - 8'09")
From Jeff "Tain'" Watts - Detained at the Blue Note (2004)
" I can’t leave without putting a Kenny Garret moment down. This is from a Jeff “Tain” Watts album but this all about Kenny Garrett. Kenny Garrett has had the most profound affect on me as a musician, all I wanted to do (and still do) is play in his band. This solo is so amazing and I’d love to put minutes and minutes down but the section I’ve chosen here I think is the standout. Yes. I think."
