Eva Novoa’s Ditmas Quartet, “Déjà Vu,” from Live at iBeam
Live at iBeam is pianist and composer Eva Novoa’s fourth album as a leader and her second fronting her Ditmas Quartet, which, in addition to Novoa, features alto saxophonist Michaël Attias, bassist Max Johnson and drummer Jeff Davis. Ditmas Quartet’s first album, Butterflies and Zebras, earned high acclaim upon its release in 2016.
“Déjà Vu” is an impressionistic tune featuring probing interplay between this ace team of musicians. The song begins with a slow, seesawing unison line in the piano and bass, which builds with escalating motion toward a climax of zig-zagging sax phrases and sizzling drum rolls. Before the song fully boils over, however, it’s brought right back down to a simmer for another round of quiet introspection. Call it déjà vu all over again.