ALTUS
Altus, in essence, means elevated, on a higher plane: precisely where trumpeter Dave Adewumi and bassist Isaac Levien, cofounders of this inspired collaborative quintet, seek to transport listeners on the band’s full-length debut Mythos. The innovative Biophilia label, founded by acclaimed pianist Fabian Almazan, is proud to release this ennobling nine-track odyssey, which follows up Altus’ 2021 debut EP Riot Cycle and features the same talented lineup.
Saxophonists Nathan Reising and Neta Raanan and drummer Ryan Sands join Adewumi and Levien as they navigate a program of original music inspired by both Greek myth of Prometheus and the Yoruba myth of Oludumare. These myths, with their overlapping themes of creation, power, struggle and love, happen to mirror the history of jazz. Through the innovations of Black Americans, jazz musicians built the library of Alexandria of modern music only to give it away for free because they knew it was important. And yet, just like Prometheus and Oludumare, Black Americans were punished for this gift.
“Whether a composition is cowritten or brought in by one of us,” Adewumi and Levien explain, “it belongs to the band as a whole once it is added to our repertoire. We view this as an act of distributing power. As such, we embody the myths, acting as the catalyst for the creation of music, community and mythology. Our compositions form the original story, but every improvisation and every performance is a retelling.”
Altus’ use of three horns and rhythm section opens the door to rich chorale-like harmony and complex polyphonic motion, not to mention widely varied improvisational exchange. “With three horns you really have to think in terms of writing for soprano-alto-tenor-bass,” says Levien. “And once you’re in that territory you have to think more logically about how you distribute those voices.”
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