Dave Harrington, Max Jaffe, and Patrick Shiroishi have made an improvisational album that finds three seasoned musicians leaning into the conceptual promise of its title without the pretense. Making Colors strips away the synesthesia trend that plagued pop music a few years back, where every major artist suddenly claimed to see sound as color, treating the experience like a personality quirk rather than what it actually is: a mundane neurological blip most people experience occasionally.
This trio takes the opposite approach. They're not performing synesthesia; they're creating music that functions the way genuine cross-sensory experience works. The album unfolds as pure improvisation, each track building texture and atmosphere without the scaffolding of conventional song structure. Harrington, Jaffe, and Shiroishi have earned their reputation as improvisational architects through years of collaborative work across jazz, electronic, and experimental contexts. They understand how to navigate freeform playing without losing the listener.
The result lands as a record that actually justifies its conceptual framework. Making Colors works because the three musicians prioritize listening over demonstrating technique, building conversations rather than showcasing individual virtuosity. This is the kind of improvisational album that benefits from repeated listening, rewarding attention with discovery rather than demanding it upfront.