listening

This is Micah alone at the piano — a solo reading of "Koko" taken at breakneck velocity, closer to Bud Powell's ghost than to any comfortable swing pocket. There is no band here to converse with; the whole drama is between his two hands, the right unspooling relentless chromatic lines while the left interrupts, anchors, and finally lets go. Listen for how dry he keeps it — almost no pedal for two minutes — so that every needle-sharp note stands alone until the very end.