Hatch - Trees (2020)

Trees, the second Destiny Records release from the Austin-based improv collective Hatch, follows their 2019 time-expanding triple LP, Modernity. Trees, like its predecessor, features Elliot Morgan on bass, Mike Shields on trumpet, Nick Earl on guitar, Clark Ericson on keyboards, and drummers Tex Bosley and Mike Hodges. The album is a fully improvised live performance recorded at Trees in Dallas, TX, and demonstrates the band’s commitment to spontaneous composition. Hatch stands on the shoulders of the legendary artists who first fused jazz, rock, and funk in the 1970s—Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Jimi Hendrix—but their process aims to take collective improvisation into a truly boundless space, where any and all influences can shape the form, groove, and melodic direction of their music. Trees is a prime example of this process in action. Morgan’s bass propels the band forward flanked by Bosley and Hodges’ two man drum attack. Earl’s laser-toned guitar cascades arpeggiated leads across the full range of the instrument as Shield’s trumpet chimes in at just the right time connecting the dots from one melodic hook to the next, all while Ericson’s synth textures swell and develop tension and resolution between the musicians. Trees is a testament to the deep connection between this group of musicians and a thrilling addition to the Hatch catalog.