Confluence
Albany, 2023
8/10
The Ancia Saxophone Quartet, i.e. Matthew Sintchak (soprano), David Milne (tenor), Joan Hutton (alto), and Angela Wyatt (baritone), have been widening their saxophone arsenal for over 30 years now, and here they flesh out 5 in depth pieces with incredible attention to detail.
Piazzolla’s “Tango Suite” opens the listen with 3 very animated and dynamic segments that are as unpredictable as they are exciting, and Larsen’s “Confluence” follows with a stirring, emotive presence, where each player’s respective strengths shine in the sometimes bare, other times firm appeal that is quite cinematic.
“Dervish” arrives at the halfway point, and quivers with a charming intimacy that builds into a tense display, while “Three Jazz Settings For Saxophone Quartet” unfolds with 3 very distinct chapters of haunting, playful and thriving jazz bursts in the Ricker composition.
“Thank you”, by Dodgion, exits the listen, and it’s a soulful, precise and delightfully stylish and memorable closer that truly showcases the chemistry between the quartet.
A very artistic delivery that involves much technique, timbral presence and focus, there is a great deal of balance between sophistication and adventurousness to be found and appreciated here.
Travels well with: String Cosmology: Sinfonietta Of Riverdale; Larry Thomas Bell- Twenty-Four Preludes And Fugues