No This Isn’t Jazz Either by Marc Soucy is a mischievous, genre-defying instrumental romp that gleefully dismantles expectations while showcasing the composer’s virtuosic command of musical language. The title alone winks at the listener, because while this track certainly isn’t traditional jazz, it’s also not not jazz, folding in elements of avant-garde classical, math-rock precision, and playful dissonance into a composition that feels both meticulously structured and wildly spontaneous.
From the first staccato piano strikes, Soucy establishes a tone of controlled chaos. The melody zigzags unpredictably—one moment evoking The Bad Plus in its percussive jazz-punk energy, the next veering into Steve Reich-like minimalism with its interlocking rhythmic patterns. The absence of traditional swing or blues inflection makes good on the title’s promise, yet the track’s improvisational spirit and harmonic sophistication remain deeply rooted in jazz’s exploratory ethos. What makes No This Isn’t Jazz Either so compelling is its self-aware wit. Soucy peppers the composition with abrupt silences, dissonant cluster chords, and passages where the piano seems to argue with itself, all while maintaining an underlying groove that’s impossible to resist. The middle section’s left-hand ostinato builds tension relentlessly before collapsing into a delightfully chaotic finale, as if the song itself has grown tired of its own joke.
For listeners who appreciate Brad Mehldau’s deconstructions of pop forms or Vijay Iyer’s rhythmic innovations, this track offers a similarly thrilling ride. It’s a composition that demands attention and rewards repeat listens.
