Personnel:
Jakob Dreyer (b), Tivon Pennicott (ts), Sasha Berliner (vib), Kenneth Salters (d)
Reference: FSNT-717
Bar code: 8427328437172
If you’re reading this, you’re probably not like me. I almost never read liner notes. I’m not a big fan of words and I also don’t like to talk much. This may be the reason why music as an art form most resonates with me. I wish I could offer some insights into the meaning of the music contained in this album, but I can’t. I believe the meaning is mostly created by the listener, you. So if you think you know what this is all about, please let me know!
By now you’ve probably realized that these liner notes are completely useless in your endeavor to find out more about this album or myself, so in an attempt to mitigate your disappointment I will give you some facts about this album:
It was recorded in Mount Vernon in the Bronx not far from where we live. One reason why I chose these particular musicians is because they’re all around my age and live in my neighborhood in uptown Manhattan (except Sasha, who is younger and now lives in LA). They are also all firmly rooted in the Jazz tradition, but not afraid to move away from it at times. All the music was composed by me, except “With a Song in my Heart” (not to be confused with “I let a Song go out of my Heart” by Duke Ellington), which is an old Jazz standard and was composed in 1929 by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the musical “Spring is Here.” My arrangement on this record features a reharmonization and is in 5/4 meter.
There are a couple of short compositions/interludes on this album. The original idea was to have interludes in between the main songs, in order to reset the emotions of the listener for the following song. One of them “Land of 1000 Blues” is a short blues and quotes “Land of 1000 Dances” (written by Chris Kenner, but the quoted part was actually added later, first in the version by Cannibal and the Headhunters and then also in Wilson Pickett’s version). Another short interlude, “Invisible” was just an in-between-takes improvisation by Kenneth and Tivon.
Most of the titles were added long after I composed the music and therefor are sometimes a little bit random. Some titles are New York themed, like for example “Big Apple,” “Bodega,” and “MTA.” “June Tune”was in act written in June. “Room 1102” and “The Fifth Floor” are inspired by Baroque prelude style (think J.S. Bach’s preludes in “The Well-Tempered Clavier”). “Room 1102” was my dorm room for a while, when I did my master’s degree at CCNY.
I never lived on the fifth floor.
—Jakob Dreyer, New York City, June 2025
★ ★ ★ ★ Down Beat
"Roots And Things, Jakob Dreyers fine new recording, starts with the mesmerizing “The Fifth Floor” and ends with “Choral Diner,” a devotional track featuring Dreyer's multi- dubbed bass. In between are full tunes and bridging snippets that attest to the depth of the quartet Dreyer has assembled for his third album as a leader. The album’s 16 tracks, 15 of them Dreyer originals, include “June Tune,” a cover of “With A Song In My Heart” in 5/4 time, and “Fight Or Flight,” its toughest.
Tenor sax player Tivon Pennicott launches “Flight,” a tune that ascends quickly, then reverses course. Vibraphonist Sasha Berliner competes with Pennicott in velocity, and their “conversation” explains the song’s title.
The more you listen to Roots, the more you surrender to its fluidity. There’s no weak cut, and playing it through only whets the urge to hear it again.
Other stimuli: “Hold On” wants to be a samba when it grows up. For now, it’s a pulsating meditation distinguished by Pennicott’s big tenor and a nervy Dreyer solo.
Grounded by Dreyer's bass, Kenneth Salters’ feathery drums and Pennicott’s snake-charmer sax, “June Tune” crests with a Berliner solo. If radio was open to a fresh jazz single, this tune with its earworm melody would fill the bill.
Salters rocks and Berliner shines on “Big Apple,” a love song to Dreyers adopted city. A blues with a memorable melody, it pushes everyone up front, especially Berliner. She solos, then Pennicott takes his turn, crafting passionate lines until Berliner guides the tune home."
—Carlo Wolff (February, 2026)
Down Beat Magazine
