Insubordinate Lunar Transgressions
Denouement, 2025
8/10
Listen to Insubordinate Lunar Transgressions
The Los Angeles Improvisation Ensemble, i.e. Robert Hardt, Louis Stewart, Andrew Shulman and Michael Valerio, pen a spontaneous 13 tracks that meshes jazz and classical with no safety net.
The stylish mood of “Tunisian Hookah Bar” opens with Hardt’s breezy winds alongside Stewart’s playful piano, and “Sergei’s Diabolical Circus” follows with Valerio’s strategic bass amid the firm keys and flowing melodies.
Further along, “Insubordinate Lunar Transgressions” allows for Stewart’s meticulous keys to shine, though Hardt’s wind makes an impression, too, while “Solar Voyage” blends the keys, winds, bass and Shulman’s cozy cell into both firm and soft gestures.
Closer to the end, “Easy Steps” puts focus on the strategic bass plucking via the dreamy album highlight, and “Excursions Into The Unknown” exits with an animated and cinematic presence that’s colorful, frisky and dynamic.
An exercise in highly creative improvisation, the Los Angeles Improvisation Ensemble got underway in the summer of 2021, and with no written music they flesh out an exciting and memorable listening experience.
Travels well with: Transcendence- Music Of Pat Metheny; The Haas Company- Songs For Mimi