Four musicians from four different American cities who zoomed during the pandemic before, when the world was free(ish), eventually meeting up in person to record this fine album. Denver, New York, Chicago and LA are their respective home bases although flautist Nilsson arrived in NYC via Sweden. However, it was in LA where the album was actually recorded.
Six originals: three by Nilsson and one each from the other three. All gel with plenty of scope for soloing - sometimes quite wild, sometimes quite moving and all very much in the moment.
I recently heard the DownBeat critics' number one flautist Nicole Mitchell and whilst Nilsson has yet to catch the ears of that august panel of judges I suspect it is only a matter of time before Nicole is looking over her shoulder and the critics are checking out this new kid on the block.
Apart from playing sound piano, Clement also contributes a couple of husky, chills up your spine, vocals. The album notes didn't help with identifying the voice, although, with the usual unreadable colour mismatch so endemic to CDs these days, I could be wrong. Fortunately Bandcamp was more consumer friendly.
Dayhuff and Raymond are no mere support acts providing the root and the rhythm. Far from it, when it all kicks off they're in there pitching with the other two. This is no 'upstairs/downstairs' band but a quartet of equals - all for one and one for all.
I've refrained from referring to the members of the Esthesis Quartet as four women. Of course they are but, first and foremost they are musicians and that's the top and the bottom line. Well worth checking out. Lance
Cricket; Two Moons; Partial; We Watch it All Burn; the Gardener; Finding What's Lost.
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