Solar Wind
Not Two, 2020
8/10
A trio of expert improvisers, Robert Dick, Joelle Leandre and Miya Masaoka bring their respective talents to a listen where each tune turns free jazz into a highly refined science in their inestimable delivery.
The album starts with the ambience of “Whispering Of The Stars”, where a collage of seemingly random instruments are all played meticulously, and “Speed Of Silence” follows with a harsh landscape of squealing, clanging percussion and brief, howled vocals that are as unusual as they are alluring.
Things only get more atypical from there, including the flute acrobatics of the jagged “Dinoflagellates”, while “Prepsychotic Philosophers” dips into calmer ebbs of experimental prowess. “Solar Wind”, one of the most intriguing tracks, then manipulates sound playfully, where strings and woodwind instruments are strategically and sparingly used.
Close to the end, “How Old Is Your Shadow” offers an aberrant and artistic display of almost sci-fi noises, and “Adiabatic” ends the listen with quivering strings in a nearly chaotic display of calculated skill.
An extremely accomplished listen, we’re treated to many solos here, where intensity and restraint are both in attendance in spades, as Solar Wind keeps the unpredictability and creativity about as high as you’re likely to hear anywhere.
Travels well with: Funk Shui NYC- Shark NATO On A Plane; Sarah Elgeti With Friends- Dawn Comes Quietly