The third collaboration between bassist
Charnett Moffett and guitarist
Jana Herzen, 2021's
New Love finds the duo exploring an expansive and uplifting, fusion-influenced sound. Both a creative and romantic partnership,
Moffett and
Herzen (who married in 2020) have been making music together since 2007's Passion of a Lonely Heart. That album featured
Herzen's warm vocals as the duo reinterpreting a mix of jazz standards alongside folky original songs. It was a style they further developed on 2020's
Round the World, investigating compositions by
Joni Mitchell and
the Beatles. While
New Love is very much a continuation of their partnership, it shines a light on bassist
Moffett's progressive jazz roots and finds
Herzen (primarily a singer/songwriter) pushing her guitar chops to new heights. While it's their core bass and guitar combination that drives the album, they also expand their sound, bringing along drummers
Corey Garcia and Malick Koly, as well as saxophonist
Irwin Hall. The record also finds
Moffett taking to the mic and showcasing his gentle voice as he does on the vibrant title track.
New Love has an engaging psych-rock influence that feels connected to bands like
Mahavishnu Orchestra and the '70s work of artists like
Pat Metheny and
Larry Coryell. A technically adept acoustic and electric bassist,
Moffett built his reputation playing hard-swinging post-bop with luminaries like
Wynton Marsalis,
Stanley Jordan,
Kenny Garrett, and others. Focusing on the electric bass here and often playing the lead melody line, his playing has a lithe, joyous quality that brings to mind the work of bassists like
Jaco Pastorius and
Steve Swallow.
Herzen follows suit, her electric hollow-body guitar dancing in ebullient tandem with
Moffett's buoyant bass lines. Many of their songs have simple, lyrical melodies that they accent with delicate interplay.
New Love is a joyously intimate album that feels like
Moffett and
Herzen are playing as much for each other as for the listener. ~ Matt Collar