The performance captured here on this record is an antidote to the plethora of jazz records that consist of rage for the sake of raging interspersed with quietude for the sake of quietude. Part of the power of free music (or however you want to compartmentalize it) is that, even at its most intense, it necessitates introspection. Taking in the beauty and the bullshit of day-to-day life and giving it back to the listener with complete fearlessness is what makes the music come alive - it’s why it still matters today even after seemingly everything has already been done. This is music that is not content to merely shout into the ether. This performance from Lily Finnegan’s Double Drum Quartet speaks to something real and tangible - listening back to it, I can hear the rush of city life, the chaos of the modern world, the inhale and exhale of it all. That genuine sense of evocation feels all too rare, but that doesn’t stop this music from feeling brisk and alive, a living, breathing, pulse-driven sound.

The first thing I noticed when hearing this recording was its sense of propulsion. Maintaining such a sense of forward motion in the context of such live-wire improvisation is not an easy balancing act, but Finnegan and her compatriot Vincent Davis - an AACM member whose pedigree includes work with Chicago giants Roscoe Mitchell and Jodie Christian as well as work with David Murray, Marilyn Crispell, Matthew Shipp and many other leading lights of contemporary avant-garde jazz - pull it off breathlessly. The uniqueness of the quintet - two drummers, two saxophonists (Anisha Rush on alto and Will Greene on tenor and guitar), and bassist Emma Dayhuff - gives way to a truly unique form of improvisation. As opposed to the standard theme-and-solos, or the formulaic conventions that sometimes emerge in free jazz in spite of itself, this is a panoramic form of musical invention in which the double drumming ensures there is always dynamic interplay.

Finnegan has a background in punk music, but if “punk jazz” brings to mind simply the usual loud and fast ragers with an added dose of screaming saxophones, that’s not what this is. The musicianship of the Double Drum Quintet clearly reflects a rich and meticulous understanding of the jazz tradition, but not in a purely demonstrative or overly labored manner. This is music that understands punk music as being centered in a sense of energy, one that can be easily transmuted across whatever arbitrary categorizations are forced on the music. When the playing does get more intense and aggressive, it never feels forced. The energy is always flowing, regardless of the tonality.

In the end, what this record speaks to is a full and complete assurance in the weight of the group’s sound and in their ability to play together. There’s no need to be showy because these musicians don’t need to tell the listener what to hear; they play with a sense of faith that whatever it is they bring to the table will be heard.

- Levy Dayan, 2026

Lily Finnegan - drums
Vincent Davis - drums
Emma Dayhuff - bass
Anisha Rush - alto saxophone
Will Greene - guitar, tenor saxophone

Recorded at Elastic Arts, Chicago, IL on April 10, 2025.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Bill Harris.

Stained glass artwork by Lily Finnegan and Ivette Colón.
Art layout by Bill Harris.

Thanks to Molly, Angel, Ishmael and Ben for hosting the Elastic Arts Improvised Music Series.