Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet, Elden Kelly | Catalyst (The Music of Gregg Hill) Review

by Elberton Cisnero

Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet’s Catalyst (The Music of Gregg Hill) delivers a fusion of global music traditions and modern jazz. Hill’s framework of contemporary jazz is combined with Middle Eastern modes, Eastern European folk colors, and Indian rhythms. It’s immediately clear that this project is something special: a creative and adventurous set of music that is engaging and accessible.

At the heart of Catalyst (The Music of Gregg Hill) is the dynamic ensemble chemistry of the Worlds Quartet. Under bassist/bandleader Dave Sharp’s guidance, the group’s global lens focuses on musical heritages from Armenia, India, the Middle East, and beyond. Violinist Henrik Karapetyan is an Armenian native with deep classical and Romani folk roots. Igor Houwat’s oud (he’s a Brazilian-born musician of Lebanese descent) adds authentic Middle Eastern timbre. Percussionist Mike List brings the pulse of the music with a rich blend of Middle Eastern hand drums and Indian tabla techniques (studied with masters in India). Sharp himself, having studied global traditions at the Ali Akbar College in California, provides a rock-solid foundation and a curator’s vision for this world-jazz exploration.

Guitarist Elden Kelly is a featured soloist and the architect of the arrangements. A long-time collaborator who has even served as Hill’s musical transcriptionist, Kelly shapes Hill’s compositions into world music expressions. His background flows from classical and flamenco guitar to the microtonal nuances of fretless guitar. Kelly’s role as arranger allowed him to add new sections and imaginative twists to Hill’s originals. The result is that each piece becomes a fresh canvas for the Quartet’s global idioms. Long-time followers of the Worlds Quartet will appreciate how Hill’s vision of well-structured compositions and melodies has opened their sound into new territory.

None of these inventive interpretations would work without Hill’s compositional framework. Hill, a prolific Michigan-based jazz composer, writes with structural integrity to provide the musicians a cohesive setting for imagination and invention. Hill’s compositions, with their lyrical melodies and inviting harmonies, act as the common theme that Sharp’s group speaks in a world-fusion conversation.

Each track on Catalyst (The Music of Gregg Hill)  offers its own distinct journey. The opener “Traveling with Gregg” rides in on a syncopated groove and scales crafted of exotic intervals. The interplay between Sharp’s bass, Karapetyan’s violin, Houwat’s oud, Kelly’s guitar, and List’s percussion is a dialogue of musical expression. “Rue de Royal,” a tune initially inspired by a New Orleans backbeat, takes on hues of Eastern Europe, Hungarian jazz violin, Middle Eastern ornamentations, and impassioned improvisation.

The group shines in the asymmetrical meter of “13th Century Lion,” which shifts through playful modes. “Ducks Night Out” reflects the different feels and genre influences that make Hill’s writing a captivating bedrock.  Mid-album highlights continue the worldwide voyage. The title track “Catalyst” has a buoyant 5/4 groove, and Hill’s composition proves to be an excellent world jazz excursion.

“Savana” is grounded in the various styles of the players set to a groove that shows the band’s remarkable versatility, grooving in a South American feel one moment and soaring through jazz-rock the next. “Cidade” (Portuguese for “City”) builds upon Hill’s compositional lyricism with Brazilian influences. “The Stray Moonduck,” a tune previously heard in a straight-ahead format on another Hill tribute album, is reborn with a Middle Eastern mix with tango.

Catalyst (The Music of Gregg Hill) is a triumph of cross-cultural collaboration and musical imagination. It’s the sound of a gifted composer’s work illuminated from new angles by an ensemble with a world of talent. There is a global eclecticism in the music that flows naturally, driven by a sense of joy and discovery. The Worlds Quartet and Elden Kelly have created a celebration of musical diversity and unity.

Artist: Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet, Elden Kelly
Album: Catalyst (The Music of Gregg Hill)
Label: Cold Plunge Records

Release Date: May 1, 2025