At age 18, uber-guitarist Mike Sopko moved to Alaska and started studying free jazz. A friend who owned a record store passed this knowledge on to American Splendor creator and jazz-fiend record collector Harvey Pekar, who excitedly sent the guitarist CDs, essays, and other ephemera. Among those titles was 1996's The Last Wave, an improvised trio outing by Arcana (Bill Laswell, guitarist Derek Bailey, and drummer Tony Williams), which made an indelible impression. In 2015 he worked with Laswell and Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen, setting a precedent for this release. On Common Ground's press materials reference the rock power trios Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience as referential springboards for improvisational innovation, but that doesn't begin to describe what transpires here. This is due to the revelatory drumming of Tyshawn Sorey, who is also a celebrated composer, pianist, and much-sought-after sideman. The Arcana outing and another inspirational referent from Bailey's catalog, 2000's Mirakle (with bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and drummer G. Calvin Weston), lend meaning here as well.

	Like us on Facebook
	@SoundHound	Follow