Sanctuary [LP]

On Sanctuary, the gifted drummer and composer Matt Slocum continues his long-standing practice of documenting original music and arrangements, eight songlike pieces in total. It's his fourth recorded encounter with master pianist Gerald Clayton, a friend and musical partner for close to two decades, who stands out among a high-technical-bar generational peer group for applying his nuanced touch and precise articulation to telling stories that blend the dialects and syntaxes of the tradition and the here-and-now. It's Slocum's first recorded interaction with bass giant Larry Grenadier, a fixture on the international jazz scene for his 25-year association with Brad Mehldau Trio, as well as consequential engagements with Pat Metheny, Paul Motian, Charles Lloyd, Joshua Redman, and Mark Turner.