Meadow Of Dreams
Ansible, 2022
9/10
An all acoustic outing where Evan Cartwright handles guitar, vibraphone and drums, Josh Cole plays bass, Nick Fraser sits behind the drum kit, Tania Gill contributes piano and Brodie West brings his alto sax, the 8 tracks here are quite adventurous in a free jazz sort of way.
“Entrainment” opens the listen with playful drumming, soulful brass and atypical guitar as the modern jazz setting glides with a peculiar charm, and “Fortress” follows with a calm, elegant spirit of cautious melody and warm gestures.
“Grotto” arrives at the halfway point and emits a cozy ambience of gliding keys and soothing sax, while “Inhabit II” is a more firm delivery of dense keys and bass acrobatics that’s quite fascinating.
At the end, “Haunt” arrives with a meticulous manipulation of space, where bowed strings meet rowdy drumming and a curious sax tone that you can’t help but admire, and the title track exits the listen with a radiance and elegance that’s indebted to classic jazz, but tweaked in their own inimitable vision.
West has a diverse resume that includes playing with the Dutch punks the Ex, and the minimalistic versus acutely textured moments here make for a feral jazz listen that you’re not going to hear anywhere else.
Travels well with: High Alpine Hut Network- 727/16; Adams, Dunn & Haas- Future Moons