Henry Threadgill Returns with “Fifteen,” a Free-Improvisation Trio Album

The Guardian notes that the new album Fifteen marks the first recording by the trio of Henry Threadgill, pianist/composer Vijay Iyer, and Cuban percussionist Dafnis Prieto since they first gathered for a fundraiser benefiting New York’s Jazz Gallery. The title references the fifteen years that have elapsed since that original meeting, and the release arrives as Threadgill, now 82, continues to expand his legacy in both composition and improvisation.

The Guardian

The review describes the opening piece “Trio Piece” as a dialogue begun by Prieto’s staccato interval hops and asymmetrical snare snaps, to which Iyer’s piano interjects before Threadgill’s flute lines glide in. “Last Night” is characterized as an urgent piano groove driven by Iyer, underpinned by Prieto’s supple drum work, while Threadgill’s alto-sax contributes long, imploring tones. In “Where Coconuts Fall,” the trio explores a rumination for piano, frothing cymbals, and soaring sax lines. The closing track “On the Way” is portrayed as a coquettish Latin frolic, edited by Threadgill’s precise punctuation yet “stormed” by Prieto and Iyer’s energetic exchanges.

The Guardian

The Guardian places the album within a broader historical context, recalling that the Pulitzer prize—originally limited to news reporting—expanded to fiction and music in 1943. Threadgill’s earlier Pulitzer-winning suite In for a Penny, In for a Pound (2016) is contrasted with the more explicitly improv-oriented approach of Fifteen. Alongside legends such as Ornette Coleman, Wynton Marsalis, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Thelonious Monk, Threadgill now adds a new chapter to the relatively sparse representation of jazz in the prize’s history.

The Guardian

The review also highlights other recent jazz projects, noting bassist/composer Linda May Han Oh’s duo Beneath Lifted Skies with Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana, and the three-volume set The Riverside Years 1959-1962 documenting guitarist Wes Montgomery’s work with Johnny Griffin and Wynton Kelly.

The Guardian

• Fifteen years since the trio’s original fundraiser.

The Guardian

• Henry Threadgill’s age: 82.

The Guardian

• Previous Pulitzer-winning suite released in 2016.

The Guardian

• Album released this month, alongside other notable jazz releases mentioned above.

The Guardian