ThoughtCast‘s debut album, Nimbus in Motion, takes inspiration from clouds in the sky
developing into thunderstorms. Over the course of ten songs, listeners can hear the drama unfold from a morning mist to a tempestuous downpour. ThoughtCast’s sound is driven from the compositional stylings of bassist and bandleader Graydon Peterson, but also the use of electronics in all the instruments. The trumpet and keyboard often use effects pedals to modify their sounds, creating fuller, broader tones and adding more layers than just a solo voice. This concept was inspired by bands like Kneebody and even some bands outside the genre of jazz like Bjork or Radiohead.
Peterson has been a pillar of the Twin Cities jazz scene for the past decade and a half as a first call bassist for both local and touring acts. He has performed with Delfayo Marsalis, Gary Bartz, Francisco Mela, and Kneebody’s Ben Wendel. As a bandleader, he has released two previous albums with the Graydon Peterson Quartet. The remaining members are Jake Baldwin on trumpet, a bandleader himself, having put out the celebrated Where You’re Planted in 2021, Joe Strahan on keyboards and Ben Ehrlich on drums.
ThoughtCast originated when Peterson started adapting his writing style to match the sensibilities of the players in this new ensemble, an adaptation of his previous quartets. Once he’d decided on the core members, tunes were then written to highlight each of their playing styles, like Baldwin’s sense of melody and pureness of tone, Strachan’s ability to create counter melodies while playing a supporting role, and Ehrlich’s incredible sense of rhythm, energy and contemporary beats.