Quinsin Nachoff (tenor sax); David Binney (alto sax); Matt Mitchell (keyboards); Kenny Wollesen (drums).
(Review by Steve H).
Flux refers, not only to the transition between modern jazz and contemporary classical music, but also to the time when composer Nachoff was moving from Toronto to New York City.
The quartet’s structure is odd, two saxophones juxtaposed against keyboards and drums and no bass.
Band leaders in their own right, the quality of their playing resonates throughout an interesting, bold and complex piece of work.
Tightrope opens with a fairly gentle introduction before the saxes square up to drums and keyboards. The mood moving from ‘gentle and relaxing’, to skronking, cacophonous rock.
Complimentary Offerings has a classical piano solo embedded which leads into a klezmer like sax interlude.
There’s a pleasant melodic opening to Mind’s Ear 1 that segues into a quiet piano section before reprising the beginning.
A buzzy electronic rat-ta-ta-tat intro to the second lobe, Mind’s Ear 2, leads to wild, uplifting, saxophone domination. The whole quartet contributes to the mayhem with drums and piano thrashing it out to the very end.
Astral Echo Poem, an anagram of its primary influence Brazilian composer Hermeto Pascoal, is perhaps the most mellow and melodious piece on the album.
Finally Tilted, a harder, rockier, piece reminds us of where we began this listening journey.
Steve H
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