Imaga Mondo Vol. II
Falcon Gumba, 2022
8/10
The Venezuelan violinist and violist Leonor Falcon surrounds herself with Christof Knoche, Juanma Trujillo, Zachary Swanson and Juan Pablo Carletti for this genre defying version of jazz that constantly shifts in tempo, tone and texture.
“Improv I” opens the listen with Falcon’s manipulated strings alongside frisky drumming from Carletti in the very adventurous version of jazz, and this creativity continues to the warm sax courtesy of Knoche and Falcon’s string acrobatics that populate “Para Emilio”.
At the midpoint, “The Monks” recruits soothing clarinet from Knoche as well as gentle guitar thanks to Trujillo, while “A” displays a flurry of free jazz exploration that’s controlled chaos at its finest.
“Improv II” arrives near the end and showcases Swanson’s precise bass plucking amid the calm, mysterious demeanor, and “Nita” exits the listen with dreamy waves of gorgeous jazz qualities.
A very creative peek into the mind of an artist with an unparalleled amount of talent, Falcon’s avant-garde approach to song craft incorporates melody, noise and sonically exciting ideas that are difficult not to admire.
Travels well with: Michael Leonhart Orchestra- The Normyn Suites; Mathis Picard- Live At The Museum