Brad Shepik: Human Activity: Dream of the Possible
Shifting Paradigm

Titles signify much in guitarist Brad Shepik's world. In the ten-movement suite he's fashioned after the climate change predicament we're experiencing, he makes emphatically clear how pressing he believes action is needed by opening the work with “Code Red.” Another, “Future Generations,” alludes to the need to leave the planet in the best state possible for our inheritors. Finally, in titling his ninth album as a leader Human Activity: Dream of the Possible, he simultaneously proposes there's still room for hope and that it's human activity that has been both a significant reason for the dire state-of-affairs and that it's the human species that's most capable of effecting positive change—if, that is, we marshal our energies and point them in the right direction. It's telling that he initially presented the suite under the title Code Red but ultimately decided to go with something less bleak.

As a rhythm section, pianist Amino Belyamani, bassist Sam Minaie, and drummer-percussionist John Hadfield lend tremendous propulsion to the compositions, Hadfield in particular a key reason why the material exhibits such incessant drive. And as the front-line players, Shepik, who augments regular guitar with Bulgarian tambura, saz, and banjo, and violinist Layale Chaker are terrific. Whenever an instrumental ensemble pairs guitar and violin, listeners of a certain age will be reminded of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, but Shepik's outfit is its own animal. Eschewing the fury John McLaughlin and company got up to in that earlier unit, Shepik's opts for a fluid and melodic attack that's powerful but less volcanic.

Recorded on March 28, 2022 at Dolan Studios in New York, Human Activity: Dream of the Possible enriches its jazz foundation with folk and world music elements. Its title a reference to a 2021 warning from scientists that the planet's vital signs had reached a critical point, “Code Red” seduces quickly with the beauty of Chaker's lyrical expression, the dexterity of Shepik's soloing, and the muscularity of the band's frothy attack. Unison lines by the guitarist and violin lift the music ecstatically, and Chaker, a highly regarded solo artist in her own right, shows herself to be an invaluable choice for the band. As Belyamani contributes his own freewheeling solo to the performance, the music ascends ever higher to leave the listener dazzled. Other tracks equal the opener for impact, the towering, tension-fueled “All Hands” an example.

Global music influences bolster the infectious thrust of “Symbioticity,” a track that wouldn't sound out of place on a playlist featuring Shakti and Oregon. It's possible, on the other hand, to be reminded of the Pat Metheny Group when Shepik burns his way through “Travel Back” and Belyamani marries Lyle Mays sparkle to the leader's high-velocity voicings. Elsewhere, it's easy to give oneself over to the wistful languor of “Future Generations” and the warm uplift of “Naturitude,” the latter an expression of appreciation for the splendours the natural world has gifted us.

Shepik assembled a fabulous unit for the project. The sweetness of Chaker's sound elevates the performances, Belyamani plays with an elegance that enhances, and the textural colour Hadfield generates with his percussion and kit proves riveting. Of course Shepik impresses most of all, not only for his playing (witness his blistering turn in “All Hands”) but for the writing, with all ten compositions credited to him. He aspires to inspire action towards a sustainable future, but Shepik doesn't hector the listener or finger-point; instead, his approach is more to call attention to the situation and encourage a mindful response to it. Premiered in 2021, the work was, in fact, preceded by 2007's related Human Activity Suite and indicates that the environment has been on Shepik's mind for years. Still, as sincere and meaningful as his intentions are, the primary takeaway from the album is more its music than the theme behind it, simply because the performances by the quintet are so compelling.

October 2024