How do dreams inform who we are? If we love something, why is it that we love it? What does the value of self really mean in the grand scheme of things? Is the posturing that takes place in everyday social life really who we are after all? Are we really alone in the conscious world? Have we been here before? What is the meaning of life and death; are we truly cyclic in all forms?

Within Infinity, Nelson Devereaux begs these questions despite knowing there simply is no answer, relishing the peace within that ontological obliteration. That’s the fundamental tapestry of the Minneapolis resident’s jazz-adjacent sophomore album, out on November 7th on the Brooklyn based label Youngbloods. Sifting through spaces of ethereal jazz, experimental art pop, and off-kilter IDM-inspired rhythms, Devereaux’s newest collection of works is as adventurous and explorative as it is graceful and precise. Infinity is a swirling brass-tinged love letter to the feeling of wanderlust; a paradoxical effort celebrating the weight, and weightlessness straddled in our waking life.

Within the twin cities, Nelson Devereaux has built a reputation as a mid-western charm. Born and raised in a blue-collar household in Milwaukee, WI, Nelson chose the saxophone as a main instrument to stand apart from his grandparents’ roots in a country-western folk trio and his father’s in guitar driven rock bands. He found every possible avenue to absorb Chicago and Milwaukee’s rich tradition in jazz, studying with Berkeley Fudge, a friend of the late Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and losing himself in understanding the genre's DNA through obsessively navigating chords and scales. And his hard work paid off - flash forward and Nelson is sharing time between Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and New York, touring with some of Pop and Indie music’s biggest names. If you’ve seen Bon Iver, Paul Cherry, The Mild High Club, Har Mar Superstar, Craig Finn, or This is the Kit live in the last few years you’ve probably seen Nelson playing to the back row on an impressive assortment of woodwind instruments. His time between tours is filled with teaching music lessons, writing songs with his brother (and lifelong collaborator), Max Deveraux, and experimenting under a variety of creative aliases (Cool Nel-D, CATSAX) - a quiet life in comparison to his being on the road, but one filled with ample time to consider his own individual artistic identity beyond the bright lights as a traveling musician.

Infinity developed quickly in concept and actualization, a product of Nelson’s tendency to hyper-focus on projects in his sparse down-time. Conversely, and contrary to his usual process, the album’s mixing stage with engineer Jason McGlone was spread over the course of months, allowing Nelson ample time to digest his creations and parse extraneous elements between sessions, resulting in the most minimal, aerodynamic, essential renditions of his recordings possible. In Nelson’s words:

“..that was the toughest part... we sat together the whole time and every time we finished I felt as if I could have done six more hours of mixing. I learned a ton from that process. Mostly to try and use time as a buffer to let ideas sink in and to be patient with the creative process. My personal production style really benefited from my time with Jason. He taught me a lot.”

Time plays a compelling, recurring role within Infinity's script - a character seldom seen that touches and looms over the album’s orbiting parts with a divine sense of objectivity. Reality, dreams, love, religion, ego, purpose, self-devotion; wherever Nelson’s mind goes, time serves as a silent passenger providing directions for our winding path. As much as time is an essential tool in the creation and contemplation of Infinity, thematically it serves as an abstract fear to be accepted and conquered.
Photo by Shun Matsuhashi

“yin yang,” Infinity’s opening number, utilizes improvised poetry atop sloshy drums and serene smoky saxophone to explore life and death and the inception of creative ideas, laying the foundation for Devereaux’s distinct style of story telling and woolgathering . Warped brass and heavily synthesized vocals recall memories of belonging, loneliness, and coming of age (“the holidays” and “ghostrider”), all of which run parallel with Infinity’s more placid moments ( “three tears” and “deep july”) to evoke a mosaic of sounds reflective of Devereaux’s array of artistic influences. The album equally shines light on pioneering contemporaries like Bon Iver, Dijon, and Flying Lotus as it does the warmth of Hubert Laws, Chet Baker, and Wayne Shorter, demonstrating a balance between Nelson’s place in the contemporary pop landscape and roots in traditional jazz.

Infinity is full of personal notes and private easter eggs. Song titles borrow from fleeting moments in Nelson’s life - “bad dream” being a nod to a nightmare his wife had about death and “shosha gate” an homage to an impactful visit to the buddhist temples in Himeji, Japan. Some works aim to grasp more theoretical, hefty, philosophical exercises in examining our technological existence and navigating conflict in the midst of a lifelong love. No matter the proximity to Nelson’s person, the interwoven themes, narratives, and references appearing in his compositions radiate as unique and relatable. Infinity’s title track and conclusion sees these revolving thoughts and whirling sounds coalesce into one final soliloquy declaring Nelson’s comfort in not knowing.

“In my quest to examine the infinite nature of things I conclude that the only absolute is the un-absolute, the infinity of it all....
Hard to sum that one up but I'll keep thinking about it. Rest assured.”