'Luck Would Have It' by Bright Dog Red

I've tended to regard most album releases as stories.  Sometimes the narrative is explicitly outlined by the artist and sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to uncover it.  And sometimes the story can be the set of circumstances that were set into motion that saw the creation and subsequent release of said project.

By their very nature, the majority of Bright Dog Red's releases over the years have often served less like stories but more like moments.  With 'Luck Would Have It' serving as the group's ninth album through Ropeadope Records - a staggering achievement in of itself - the very aesthetic of Bright Dog Red's music is a celebration of the here & now.

As staunch advocates for improvisational jazz, the New York-based ensemble have cultivated a legacy of releases that find them relishing the idea of the moment.  Music created in a space indicative of the thoughts, feelings and energy of the room that would be different if performed the day before and different if performed the day after.

Rod Temperton used to believe the song was in the air and if you couldn't grab it within a set period then it was time to move on.  It's a great discipline for one of our most esteemed songwriters to possess but perhaps not as easy a technique for a team of musicians taking on a New York stage with a ticket-buying audience in front of you.

But perhaps therein lies the secret to improvisation - perhaps it's less about a perspective rooted in "making it up as you go" and more about a team of artists and musicians "finding" the song that's in the air?

Bright Dog Red have chartered a compelling course throughout their Ropeadope tenure.

Starting with 'Means to the End' in 2018, the Joe Pignato-helmed collective has crafted full-length releases that, in many ways, have been designed to draw audiences one step closer to the live BDR experience.

Which brings us to 'Luck Would Have It'.  Recorded live in New York's Nublu, 17th October 2025, the session is presented as two- free-flowing 21-minute tracks that capture the joy of BDR live.  In the Bright Dog Red tradition, theirs is jazz that's imaginative and progressive and as unhindered a musical concoction as you could find as it continues to interweave electronic musical tendencies with hip-hop in an effortless marriage of styles.

Perhaps this is ultimately what makes 'Luck Would Have It' such a compelling addition to the Bright Dog Red catalogue.  These aren't musicians particularly interested in telling stories after the fact, but rather in documenting the stories as they unfold.  There's no predetermined destination, no need to know quite where the music is heading.  There's simply the moment, and the collective instinct to follow wherever it might lead.