RogueArt proudly presents A Near Permanent State of Wonder, the first duo recording by pianist Alexander Hawkins and cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum. Two of the most distinctive and restlessly inventive voices in contemporary creative music meet in an intimate, exploratory session that balances lyricism and abstraction, rigor and generosity, fragility and fire.
The album documents a rare level of rapport between the musicians. Hawkins, celebrated for his agile navigation between tradition, avant‑garde, and free improvisation, finds in Bynum—a cornet player renowned for his singular timbre, compositional imagination, and deep roots in both jazz and experimental practices—a counterpart able to match his every turn with wit and emotional depth. The result is a sonic dialogue that transcends categories. At times, the music whispers with chamber‑like delicacy; at others, it surges forward with unrestrained urgency. Moments of silence are treated with as much weight as cascades of sound, creating a sense of narrative that feels at once spontaneous and deeply considered.
A Near Permanent State of Wonder invites listeners into a space where music becomes a living conversation—unpredictable, intimate, and charged with possibility. It is a document of two artists unafraid to risk everything in pursuit of fleeting beauty, leaving behind an album that resonates with both intellectual rigor and emotional clarity.
