Richard Nelson

Dissolve

Adhyâropa, 2024

8/10

Listen to Dissolve

The composer and guitarist Richard Nelson meshes jazz and classical ideas across these 3 involved pieces, where the 15 piece Makrokosmos Orchestra accompanies him for the exploratory improvisation.

The title tracks starts the listen with Latin influenced drumming amid the bright flutes and grooves via the bass for a festive display that’s capable of tense, even furious bouts of song craft.

The middle belongs to “Float”, where Tim O’Dell’s skilled sax and Nelson’s meticulous solo weave around the dreamy melodies and Alan Brady’s charming bass clarinet, while “Cohere” exits with cautious textures that benefit much from Scott Neumann’s clever drums and soulful, unpredictable brass that suits the stylish, cultured presence.

Nelson’s got an impressive resume that includes 4 albums of original material, and this excellent installment with his creative ensemble continue the consistency with a Big Band adventure that few could parallel.

Travels well with: Kevin Sun- The Depths Of Memory; Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio- Jet Black