‘Mesmerism’ is the doctrine of ‘animal magnetism’ after the German doctor Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815). Even during his lifetime, this medical application was scientifically debunked as ineffective and its ‘inventor’ was ridiculed as a charlatan. At the same time, with its emphasis on the human imagination, which lies in the unconscious, it is regarded as the cornerstone of modern psychotherapy. ‘Mesmerism’ is the title of Tyshawn Sorey’s 2022 album, which the drummer and composer, born in Newark in 1980, recorded with a ‘classical’ jazz piano trio. This line-up and the album with jazz standards may come as a surprise at first glance, as Sorey had previously been regarded as a seasoned representative of the musical avant-garde who was equally committed to radical improvisation and highly complex, notated music. With Aaron Diehl (piano) and Harish Raghavan (bass), the drummer reduces the tempo of the music of these jazz songs to almost zero in order to dissect them analytically and strip away their actual essence with a quiet swing.
Aaron Diehl – p
Harish Raghavan – b
Tyshawn Sorey – dr
