Ralph Alessi’s fourth appearance as a leader for the label follows a singular album run that’s been met with nothing but praise from The New York Times to The Guardian. The latter lauded Ralph’s previous recording Imaginary Friends (2019) for its “elegant balance of poignant, playful original compositions and gracefully probing improv” and declared it “his best album yet”. It’s Always Now however brims with arguments that there is a new contender for that title. On his new album, Alessi’s unique tone is as limber, piercing and present as ever, enveloped by a fresh quartet line-up – pianist Florian Weber, Bänz Oester on bass and drummer Gerry Hemingway – that navigates through the trumpeter’s idiosyncratically swinging compositions with a sixth sense. The album is not only a continuation of the leader’s work but also records Florian’s evolution on the label, this being his fourth album with ECM to date. His distinctive harmonic approach on keys is as evident in leader settings as in the role of a sideman, and his deep sensibility for Alessi’s pulse enhances this session, which was produced by Manfred Eicher.

His thirteenth LP as a leader and fourth for ECM, ‘It’s Always Now’ debuts a new, international set of backing musicians to help Alessi with his distinctive vision. Versatile American drummer Gerry Hemingway and Swiss bassist Bänz Oester provide a variety of rhythms, locking onto each other like a barnacle to a hull one minute and jogging parallel alongside each other the next. Pianist Florian Weber serves as the harmonic anchor, not only laying down textural comping and counterpoint riffs, but also co-composing a few tunes. Backed by these fresh but experienced faces, Alessi really puts his heart into both his songs and his performances.
Michael Toland, The Big Takeover