Out of / Into - motion II

All-star Blue Note collective Out Of/Into return with their second album of dynamic and textural post-bop jazz on 2025's Motion II. Originally formed to mark Blue Note's 85th anniversary, Out Of/Into features pianist and musical director Gerald Clayton, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, drummer Kendrick Scott, and bassist Matt Brewer. 

Recorded during the same sessions as their debut, Motion II is a direct companion to its predecessor, though the inventive writing and bold interplay between the bandmembers marks the album as a worthy stand-alone production. As with their debut, the focus here is on original compositions, rather than standards, with an ear to bridging the bold jazz traditions of Blue Note's storied past with the sound of jazz's future. It's a choice that smartly evokes the classic late-'60s "new thing" recordings that Impulse released at the time by rising innovators like John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner. 

While Motion II doesn't rise to the level of say 1966's Ascension, it is nonetheless an engaging experience. These are no simple lead-sheet arrangements, either, but artful arrangements that pull you deeper as the song shifts in style and tone. The album begins with Wilkins' "Brothers in Arms," a subtly mutative, modal-sounding piece that starts with a bright Latin-inflected groove and shifts to a slowly rolling and soulful resolution. From there, they dive into the contrapuntal harmonies of Clayton's "Finding Ways," while bassist Brewer kicks off "Juno" with a woody, Charles Mingus-esque unaccompanied solo. By contrast, Clayton's "Familiar Route" evokes the rolling horizon modalism of Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage, a perfect vehicle for his sun-dappled piano and vibraphone interplay with Ross. We also get the dreamy, soul-inflected tone poem of Scott's "The Catalyst" and the hard bop sophistication of Clayton's "Nacho Supreme." While the members of Out Of/Into can improvise with endless virtuosity, their individual contributions never overshadow the generous and warm group vibe. AllMusicGuide