Tim Jago, Time Shift Review

Global Jazz Conversations: Tim Jago’s Musicianship on Time Shift

By Nolan DeBuke

Tim Jago’s Time Shift is a definitive showcase of a guitarist-composer-performer whose technical expression and musical depth have been expressed across genres in eight tracks to form a global jazz sound. Jago, an Australian expatriate now a central figure in the New York jazz scene, has performed with titans like Chick Corea, Terence Blanchard, and Arturo Sandoval. His reputation as a ferocious yet nuanced guitarist is hard-earned, and Time Shift confirms what the inner circles of jazz already knew: Jago is a virtuosic force who communicates fluently in the global dialects of jazz guitar.

From hearing the eight performances, one will appreciate Jago’s storytelling and command of tone with attention to creating a musical space. “Calypso’ish” is an example of his expression in articulation and contrast. His guitar tone for his solo is conveyed in a lightly overdriven, semi-hollow warmth that sings with vocal phrasing, his legato lines melting into sweeping arpeggios, clean-picked with clarity. His solo is clear in its lyrical development, balancing motivic evolution with harmonic exploration. “Fine Line” reinforces this impression, capturing Jago in full-flight over a swinging blues. His eighth-note pulse flows with the rhythmic confidence of a bebop veteran, yet his vocabulary includes global jazz inflections, chromatic color, and bebop architecture. Jago deploys each performance with precision to form crafted narratives that speak with authority and elegance.

Tenor saxophonist Mark Small provides an ideal companion. His solo on the title track “Time Shift” demonstrates expressive phrasing and agility, navigating harmonic shifts with a liquid tone and an emotional arc. On “Soil to Sky,” Small soars through modulating meters with exacting control, weaving motivic gestures that build on the composition’s ascending theme. Whether swinging hard on “Bernie’s Tune” or floating in 5/4 on “Body and Soul,” his playing is imbued with rhythmic clarity and melodic sensibility.

The rhythm section, however, is what transforms Time Shift from a guitarist’s album to a full ensemble tour-de-force. Drummer David Chiverton is successful in create the pulse of each feel, subdivision, and polyrhythm is felt throughout, but “Calypso’ish” and “Bernie’s Tune” are standouts. In the former, his transition from a groove-inflected calypso to a gospel-tinged breakbeat is seamless, building tension while retaining pocket. On “Bernie’s Tune,” his broken-time accents and metric placements turn a familiar standard into something fresh and full of kinetic energy.

Bassist Dion Kerr delivers performances that undergirds the album’s rhythmic integrity. His work on “Major,” with a lyrical solo in the upper register of his six-string, is expressive and harmonically rich, while his walking bass on “Fine Line” locks perfectly with Chiverton’s ride cymbal for a pocket deep enough to swim in. Kerr follows form, speaking through it to contribute countermelodies and rhythmic figures that add to the ensemble texture.

The peak of the group’s collective virtuosity is “Time Shift” itself. The round-robin solo format between Jago, pianist Martin Bejerano, and Kerr is handled with much fluidity to form a three-way conversation conducted in real time. Each soloist builds on the last, linking their phrases through harmonic clues and rhythmic gestures. Bejerano’s playing throughout the album is sparkling, rhythmically propulsive and harmonically adventurous. On “Calypso’ish,” his solo rides the groove with fire and focus, while his comping throughout “Body and Soul” is sensitive, sculpted, and rhythmically alert.

Compositional structures serve as a structural playground for the ensemble’s invention. “Soil to Sky” and its transition into “Major” exemplify Jago’s rhythmic and modal inventiveness. From voice-generated grooves to shifting time signatures of 4/4 to 5/8 and back, the band navigates metric modulation organically. There is a mix of forms that reward deep listening, building trust in Jago’s and ensemble’s thematic control.

While most of Time Shift comprises originals, Jago’s arrangements of “Bernie’s Tune” and “Body and Soul” highlight his ability to reframe standards within fresh rhythmic and harmonic contexts. “Body and Soul,” inspired by Vernel Fournier’s “Poinciana” groove, adds a soulful bounce to a tune often draped in balladic melancholy. Rendered here in slow 5/4, the arrangement opens new rhythmic and emotional possibilities, offering a fresh canvas for improvisation.

The closer, “Kind Minded,” serves as a fitting resolution. Open-voiced chords and syncopated grooves reflect both Jago’s early memories of the vast Australian bush and the ensemble’s shared fluency in groove-based global jazz. It’s celebratory energy leaving us with a message of cohesion and camaraderie.

Time Shift demonstrates Tim Jago’s guitar voice and as a musician-composer whose vision is matched by his fingers. Each member of this ensemble plays together, transcending to achieve ensemble telepathy.