Windswept
Navona, 2019
8/10
A record where each track is composed from a different vision, Windswept recruits a quintet of musicians- Boston’s Arcadian Winds- to flesh out these sophisticated and playful pieces.
Jan Jarvlepp’s “Woodwind Quintet” leads with plenty of pop influences amid a romantic and textured affair of dynamic interplay between the artists, and “Sonorous Earth”, by Ferdinando Desena, offers incredible playing in a lower tonal registry.
David MadDonald’s “Stumpery” manipulates space and ambience with plenty of reverberation among the instruments, while “Dirge & Second Line”, by Craig Peaslee, brings a chamber ensemble and draws us into New Orleans jazz territory. Kenneth A. Kuhn’s “Variations On A Commoner Theme No. 1” ends the affair with plenty of melody as tempo, tone and key are all varied with awe inspiring results.
An ensemble who have been playing together since 1987, Arcadian Winds deliver top notch performances here, with plenty of precise power and deft fluidity to tell these stories with the utmost grace.
Travels well with: Alla Elana Cohen- Quaestiones Et Responsa; Bill Whitley- Then Elephant Speaks