Out Of/Into, Motion II Review

Out Of/Into: Motion II put Legacy in Motion by setting groove first

By Ferell Aubre

From the first downbeat of Out Of/Into’s Motion II, they sound like an ensemble already in stride. There’s no easing into the room, no ceremonial nod to history. The groove is there immediately as the ensemble creates a time feel that is active, elastic, and shared, and everything else flows from that. In a year when Blue Note celebrated its 85th anniversary, Out Of/Into didn’t respond by looking back. They responded by moving forward, together, trusting feel, time, and collective instinct to do the talking.

That sense of motion isn’t accidental. Motion II draws from the same fertile stretch of road-tested music-making that produced the group’s debut, recorded during the band’s 2024 anniversary tour. Pianist Gerald Clayton, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, bassist Matt Brewer, and drummer Kendrick Scott had already lived with this music night after night. What you hear on Motion II is a band that understands how to let groove lead, and structure follow, a very Blue Note idea, updated for right now.

Wilkins’ opening statement, “Brothers In Arms,” sets the tone. The tune starts right on the head, immediately establishing a shifting rhythmic landscape that feels modern without trying to prove it. Straight and swing eighths blur into a contemporary rhythmic language that pulls from post-jazz, groove jazz, hip-hop, funk, boogaloo, and the church. The time shifts don’t disrupt the flow; they are the flow. This is jazz as it exists today within the Blue Note perspective, grounded in history, fluent in the present, and unafraid of hybrid motion.

Clayton’s “Finding Ways” leans into economy and clarity. In a small-ensemble setting, the band builds a layered contrapuntal ascent that never feels crowded. Each line is audible on its own and meaningful as part of the whole. This is a testament to deep listening and ensemble trust. Brewer’s bass anchors the solo section with groove authority, while Scott’s drums remain highly interactive, shaping energy rather than dictating it. The harmonic field stays modern and colored, supporting the soloist without boxing them in. It’s disciplined playing that still breathes.

Scott’s “The Catalyst” is the album’s subversive moment. At a slow tempo, the tune unfolds as a study in time as tension with expanding and contracting in activity while remaining unwavering at its core. The funk influence is present, but deliberately withheld, creating a sustained pull rather than an obvious release. Piano, Rhodes, and vibes interlock with care, never stepping on harmonic toes. The melody itself feels almost folk-like in its simplicity, reinforcing the idea that the groove isn’t something laid on top, it’s something collectively built, part by part.

The record closes with “Nacho Supreme,” a joyful acknowledgement of lineage that never slips into cosplay. The swing feel sits deep in the pocket, grounded firmly in post-bop tradition, but the shading of the eighths tells a modern story. Straight-eight sections introduce a contemporary funk sensibility, less Latin-inflected than earlier Blue Note eras, more reflective of today’s rhythmic vocabulary. Wilkins’ saxophone solo builds in texture and propulsion, Ross follows with a vibes statement whose mallet attack rings vividly against the cymbals, and Clayton’s piano solo favors clean single-note lines punctuated by shapely chordal accents. Scott’s drumming once again defines the forward motion, especially in a fluid solo that plays with and against the ensemble’s ostinato figure. It swings, it grooves, and it moves.

Across Motion II, solos stay concise, forms stay audible, and the ensemble always feels like the main character. This is music that understands Blue Note’s legacy as an evolving process rooted in groove, risk, and collective imagination. Out Of/Into honor that lineage, the only way it really survives: by keeping it together and in motion.