Though this record is generally a low-energy listen, that doesn't mean the playing is uninspired; it's just relaxed.  That may seem somehow bizarre for this kind of free session, but it's actually a testament to the interpersonal harmony these players bring to the activity of making music together.  (Not only that, it's a tribute to the form of improvised music that the genre has grown to enable this kind of undisturbed collective communication.)  Giardullo's soprano sax complements Joe McPhee's roster of pocket trumpet, flugelhorn and soprano sax with garrulous affability: brass and reeds tangle like curling air uplifted by the heat of the sun during the title track's opening minutes.

Tani Tabbal's djembe playing meshes gorgeously with McPhee on the duo "Close," a lullaby that I would highly recommend for purposes of seduction -- be it your own or that of someone close to you.  An irregular pattern of whirling and dribbling on "Spin" reminds me of a carnival ride going up, spinning, and making me so dizzy that I can't tell if I'm going up or down anymore.  Tabbal's drumstick cycles -- patter patter patter pit-pit -- ricochet indirectly off Giardullo's rolling soprano while Mike Bisio does his best to avoid any anchor --  or sense of gravity -- while plucking his contrabass.  Asymmetrical but smooth, the trio's gyrations unfold, gradually surrounding the listener within the strange rhythmic sequence.

Without either charging forward to present a BIG sound or withdrawing into a microscopic search among silences for sound-events, Now Is documents four well-seasoned improvisors getting together and resting in music.  Mike Bisio's contrabass solos at the opening and closing of "O.A.O.L." narrate the feeling of this record: it all sounds like a distant endearment.

Coda
(May/June 2004)

Andrew Choate

After a period of dormancy, saxophonist Joe Giardullo returned to music a little over a decade ago thanks to the encouragement of friend Joe McPhee.  The pair has now collaborated on four occasions, the most recently being last year's excellent Shadow & Light, which featured a quartet with bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Tani Tabbal.  While that release was a moving testament to its fateful recording date (9/11/01), Now Is expands the approach in an upbeat and equally exploratory series of seven freely improvised pieces.  Quartet, trio and duo meetings focus on contemplation, energy and a spacious, free flowing sense of time that relies upon each participant's listening skills.

The record opens with "Now Is," a multiple part piece that begins with the quartet going full tilt in a swinging, yet electric fashion.  McPhee and Giardullo engage in a spirited interplay that sets the tone for the rest of the record, with Bisio and Tabbal driving mightily as they negotiate a series of twists, turns and moments of reflections.  Another quartet piece, "Conference," is slowly paced featuring the two sopranos contemplating with spirituality, as Tabbal's restrained tom and brushwork moves alongside Bisio's resolute bass.  Further on "SCINT," the bubbling undercurrent thrown down by Bisio and Tabbal is simple infectious, inspiring McPhee and Giardullo to engage in an inspiring game of cat and mouse.

As for the trio pieces, McPhee sits out on "Spin," while the remaining musicians navigate the spiraling sense of time with Bisio's arco and Tabbal's brushes.  A ballad, "O.A.O.L.," presents the group following Bisio's somber arco as Giardullo's sweetly soulful soprano cuts deep.  The program ends with McPhee and Tabbal's duet on "Close," a spiritual quest.

This is freely improvised music of the highest order.   Equally adept at high-flying tightrope walking, as well as mining calm, spacious terrain with a focus on deep, organic emotion, these four musicians make one realize that there is plenty of life left in the free territories.

Signal to Noise

Jay Collins

Difficult as it is to maintain a truly working group in this music, it's all the more remarkable that Joe Giardullo was able to reconvene this particular quartet if you consider the grave circumstances under which it began its recording career. The group's first disc, Shadow & Light (also on Drimala), was the product of a recording session in upstate New York that took place as scheduled on September 11, 2001, mere hours after that morning's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. But where the more superstitious among us might've balked at planning an encore studio date, Giardullo and company instead chose to test the concept of carpe diem to its fullest extent—resulting in a set of music that salutes immediacy in a most blissful manner.

It's immediately apparent from the title track's freewheeling spontaneity that Now Is is a much less somber affair than its predecessor. Even before the insistent little staccato theme that crops up halfway through the piece, the way Joe McPhee's pocket trumpet and Giardullo's soprano sax playfully chase each other around exudes an incomparable feeling of joy for the moment in and of itself that carries through the entire program. Whether exploring inner space on dual sopranos (as on the Dave Holland-influenced "Conference") or striking a more propulsive, destination-oriented stance ("SCINT"), Giardullo and McPhee's intuitive feeling for each other's sense of line and harmony reveals itself as virtually peerless.The same might be said for bassist Mike Bisio and drummer Tani Tabbal. Not so much a rhythm section as yin to the horns' yang, the two musicians share an innate understanding of the way melody fits into time and space. Bisio in particular has one of the downright thickest bass tones of anyone playing the instrument in free music these days—his style has a physical cast to it that demands to be felt, not simply heard. Tabbal, on the other hand, has a deft touch behind the drum kit that allows him to put the polyrhythmic spring in "Spring Theory" or bend his toms like a tympani on "Close", the duet with McPhee on flugelhorn that concludes the CD. Together though, Bisio and Tabbal demonstrate their versatility throughout the disc, showing just how unfortunate it is that they don't collaborate more frequently.

Two tracks that pare the quartet down to a McPhee-less trio give Giardullo extra opportunities to take charge, but he instead opts to stick with the quartet's egalitarian vibe. On both "Spin" and "O.A.O.L.", the saxophonist defers to his partners' sensitivities with selfless aplomb, even going so far as to take a background, nearly contrapuntal role to Bisio's rugged epiphanies on the latter track. It's almost a shame that Giardullo doesn't step forward, if only because his style is so interesting—free, yet unequivocally melodic, he rarely resorts to harshness to get his feelings across (a reflection of his personal character, perhaps?).

If I had to choose one drawback to the quartet's work here, it would be that they occasionally seem to have so many ideas running into each other that they don't explore one fully before moving on to the next, although that applies more to the long title track than to the other, more intensely focused pieces. Beyond that, there's little fault to be found on Now Is—a wonderful monument to living life in the moment, as well as a celebration of the second chance.

One Final Note

Scott Hreha

Joe Giardullo is a microtonal free jazz reed player with a rather large discography behind him, dating way back to the early eighties.   His most recent disc, Now Is, has been released by jazz/improv imprint Drimala Records, and it sees him team up with Joe McPhee, Mike Bisio, and Tani Tabbal.  The results are terrific; together, the quartet plays some of the most refined and talented free jazz to come out in a long while.

"Spin" is one of the best pieces on Now Is; it is an energetic, loose slice of improv.   "Conference," meanwhile, features an interesting 'conversation' between the instruments, including some neat saxophone call-and-response.  "Spring Theory" is also an amazing, wonderfully lush piece of music.

Now Is is a terrific selection of improvised music that any serious free jazz will want to get his or her paws on.  Giardullo has continued in his tradition of excellence.

Indieville.com

Matt Shimmer

Listening to Joe Giardullo's Now Is, it's hard to believe the multi-instrumentalist/composer spent twelve years honing his craft in private, convinced that no one was interested in his artistic output.  Then in '91, he played a gig that happened to include another multi-instrumentalist/composer, one Joe McPhee.  Both brought soprano saxes and after launching a tune, the band sat out to witness the magical rapport the two newly introduced men shared.  That rapport blossomed into a long association that brought Giardullo into the limelight.  Besides grants, gigs, and record contracts, their charmed odyssey led to a fateful recording date of 9-11, that resulted in the intense Shadow & Light.  Reassembling the same quartet over a year later yields Now Is.  In addition to Giardullo and McPhee, the band includes the rhythm section of Tani Tabbal on drums and Mike Bisio on bass.

On the title track Tabbal throws down a hard bop rhythm with Bisio chasing him.  McPhee and Giardullo greet each other, McPhee on flugelhorn.  After some light banter, they alternate streaming solos and create arrangements on the run.   Mood and tempo change drastically, to slow down and pare down to Bisio on solo bass, bowing deep ridges.  Giardullo sneaks back in with Tabbal on djembe.   Giardullo takes it in a romantic direction in duet with Tabbal.  His sweet lyrical route finds McPhee and they sing together with Tabbal, Tabbal solo takes it out.

Bisio's soulful bowing starts "O.A.O.L.," and his dexterous plucking ends it.  In between, the trio strolls through with Giardullo bubbling like a stream.  The quartet returns for "Spring Theory," McPhee's soprano plays an impassioned interlude, then Giardullo takes a short run.  The two, play an extended improv together and it's like pups tumbling over each other.   "Close" has McPhee on flugelhorn with Tabbal.  Tabbal uses his drums' tones to create melodic patterns, while McPhee plays a pensively beautiful meditation.

Recorded with a minimum of preconceptions, the main aesthetic guiding the session was that each musician's voice be heard clearly. Hearts and souls are audible as well.

All About Jazz-LA

Rex Butters

Soprano saxophonist Joe Giardullo is possessed of a beautifully spare tone, and his instrumental conceptions are always suffused with plenty of unearthy microntonal detail.  He has enjoyed a long association with fire breathing saxophonist Joe McPhee.  Now Is, a quartet date with McPhee on trumpet, soprano, and flugelhorn, alongside bassist Mike Bisio and drummer Tani Tabbal, provides proof evidence of the pair's now symbiotic relationship.

Many of the disc's highlights happen with McPhee on trumpet, playing Don Cherry to Giardullo's Ornette Coleman, as the pair crescendo above a racing rhythm section.  Like Cherry, McPhee has mastered that barren, lone signalman sound and he uses it to great effect here, bruising the luminescent crescents generated by Giardullo's horn with peachy cries.  But the performance of the disc comes from bassist Bisio, his heartbreakingly articulate arco work full of tar and resin.

The Wire
October 2003

David Keenan

Joe Giardullo and Joe McPhee have been working together for more than ten years and their music has always been pervaded by a kind of spirituality and poetry that make it unique. This time they're accompanied by a rhythm section consisting of Mike Bisio, an absolutely classy double bass player, and Tani Tabbal, a drummer who has worked in mainstream contexts - for example James Carter - and also in "free" settings with Roscoe Mitchell.

This quartet's atmospheric proposals are something unique in the contemporary free scene - halfway through free energy and chamber music. The interplay is perfect and during the improvisations you can notice how the development of the pieces is extemporaneous and spontaneous, being any compositional cue absent.

Joe Giardullo, on soprano sax, is an American musician who is inspired by Evan Parker and looks for his own instrumental way, far from masters like John Coltrane or Steve Lacy. Joe McPhee is one of the few multi-instrumentalists able to play both reeds and brass. On trumpet, his notes are loaded with feeling and he's always in tone with Giardullo's sax. On soprano, in a couple of tracks, he dialogues with his colleague, almost giving the music a chamber taste.

The whole CDs ranges from tranquil atmospheres to other moments full of energy, like the initial "Now Is" where the two rhythms are expressed with virtuosity and swing. The final track, a duo between McPhee and Tani Tabbal, is another gem in this album, with an atmosphere both hypnotic and meditative at the same time.

All About Jazz Italy

Vittorio Lo Conte
translation
Massimo Ricci

Depois do sombrio e conturbado Shadow & Light, Joe Giardullo regressa com os seus habituais companheiros, assinando uma obra surpreendentemente bela e expressiva.

A música de Now Is compreende vários contextos, ela vive através das constantes mutabilidades energéticas e temperamentais, reflectindo a corrente que brota desta aventurosa jornada, primando pela simplicidade e diversidade grandiosamente empenhada pelos quatro músicos.

Now Is vem dar continuidade a uma das mais saudáveis duplas de saxofonistas existentes em Nova Iorque, a dualidade entre Giardullo e Joe McPhee é de uma complementaridade exemplar, vivendo das suas diferenças de vozes, o primeiro mais expansivo e o segundo com uma inflexão mais espiritual.

McPhee toca também trompete de bolso e flugelhorn, colorindo a sessão com toda a sua confiança e agilidade. Mas a dupla rítmica formada pelo contrabaixista Mike Bisio e pelo baterista Tani Tabbal contribuem para a imponência de Now Is. Bisio evita os caminhos mais fáceis, a sua sensibilidade permite-lhe uma musicalidade irrepreensível. Tabbal consegue intercalar á complexidade da música, uma leveza e dinamismo, contribuindo para a congruência da obra.

Now Is é uma enciclopédia da improvisação instantânea.

New Jazz Improv

Hernani Faustino

This recording presents four top-shelf artists in an open arena where creativity is the only ground rule. The level of playing is off the chart, and the music becomes a bountiful theater of satisfaction.

All About Jazz

Frank Rubolino

Third effort by the excellent Giardullo on this label, "Now Is" presents four musicians at their very expressive high. Starting with the swinging, jazzy outburst - with a " full freedom" imprint - of the title track, the record guarantees skill and heart in enormous doses in the following pieces, where the magnificent eruptions and flights of the saxes and the deep inquiries of Joe McPhee's pocket trumpet's lines are perfectly at ease with a rhythm section consistently imaginative and turbulent when the right moment comes.

While Joe Giardullo and Joe McPhee are those kind of masters you can always trust because they'll NEVER fail to produce emotional moments, I'd just like to take my hat off in front of the technical capability and soulful equilibrium of a great bassist, Mike Bisio; last but not least, the scintillating drumming (not to mention his djembe) of Tani Tabbal also deserves a spot in the light - that very light that surely was caressing the heads of these four gentlemen while recording this beauty. A must for lovers of contemporary jazz.

Touching Extremes

Massimo Ricci

These players have the ability to convey a visceral sense of emotion and ordered freedom (not an oxymoron) in their playing that is effortless for listeners to respond to.

All About Jazz

Mark Corroto

Second superb release from Joe's great quartet featuring Joe. G. on soprano sax, Joe McPhee on trumpets & soprano sax, Mike Bisio on contrabass and Tani Tabbal on drums & djembe. After a number of fine releases with fellow upstate New Yorker Joe McPhee, Mr. Giardullo moves into the spotlight with his third cd as a leader. The exciting title track opens with the quartet soaring at a quick and frenzied pace, the soprano and flugel swirling together as the rhythm team erupts below. Both horns solo and explode together, building in intensity, taking their time to ascend as the busy bass and drums flow quickly as one force of nature. There is a rather somber beauty to this as the quartet organically weave through hills and valleys and sail through the world of magical improv. There a couple of superb trio pieces for Giardullo, Bisio and Tabbal, as well as an enchanting duo for McPhee and Tabbal to close out this grand journey of excellent spiraling spirits. A transcendent gift from the gods.

Downtown Music Gallery

1. La sesión comienza vigorosa, con un ritmo ágil y acelerado, marcado por el contrabajo de Michael Bisio y el golpeteo polirrítmico de Tani Tabbal. Por encima de este discurrir que augura un buen camino, Joe Giardullo y Joe McPhee, al saxo soprano y a la trompeta de juguete, frasean libremente sobreponiendo sucesivas líneas melódicas. El tema base es un simple punto de partida que va siendo desarrollado espontáneamente. Poco a poco, el fuego se vuelve más suave para que Giardullo pueda conversar más tranquilamente con la sección rítmica. McPhee se une al círculo de amigos alternando solos con Giardullo, tras lo cual ambos se apartan para dejar paso a un breve solo de contrabajo de Bisio, señal que marca la vuelta del cuarteto que asume las posiciones iniciales. Nueva pausa para relajarse, McPhee crea un nuevo motivo, surge Giardullo que responde en sintonía. Bisio, atento, va tras sus pasos barriendo el espacio con el arco. Se puede sentir la mirada y el oído atento de los otros músicos a medida que Bisio describe líneas circulares des-concéntricas, que aumentan su intensidad, color y dramatismo, subrayadas por breves intervenciones de Tabbal. Giardullo se aproxima y se lanza inspirado por una frase de Bisio. Sólo McPhee se queda fuera escuchando, seguido de Bisio, ambos dejando un espacio para el entendimiento entre el soprano y la percusión. Entra ahora la trompeta de bolsillo para resumir la conversación y dejar que sea Tabbal el encargado de cerrar. Termina el primer tema.

2. Abre Giardullo al soprano. La inspiración parece provenir de Ornette, atemperada por unos toques orientales. Se oyen las escobillas de Tabbal acentuadas por algún que otro disperso golpe de bombo. Se une a ellos Bisio en el acompañamiento y estalla la improvisación libre, una vez expuesto el tema inicial. Son tres voces en plano de igualdad que se explayan a voluntad durante cerca de cinco minutos, sugiriendo la frescura del agua que fluye.

3. Vuelve el cuarteto. Al frente, viene Giardullo a paso lento pero ligero. Marca el camino a seguir. McPhee toca con él como si ambos fuesen un único saxo soprano, tanta es la simbiosis que logran. Vibra una cuerda del contrabajo, suelta. Tras un toque de tambor, la música progresa, lenta y misteriosa. Bisio demuestra ser el contrabajista ideal para este tipo de ambiente. McPhee dibuja arabescos al saxo soprano y devuelve de inmediato la palabra a Bisio, introspectivo y soñador, un poeta del contrabajo. Tabbal recurre de nuevo a las escobillas. Los vientos vuelven a escena con perfume de especias. Redobla un tambor y con él se oyen frases breves y sinuosas de los sopranos que se desvanecen en el tiempo.

4. McPhee irrumpe con la trompeta, enérgico y anguloso en un mano a mano con Bisio. Llaman a Giardullo. No lo sabíamos, pero esa era la antesala del tema fuerte que sigue, con McPhee abriendo el camino, invitando a sus compañeros a nuevas aventuras. Y es Bisio quien cierra la puerta.

5. El propio Bisio abre el tema siguiente. El tempo es lento, primero en pizzicatto y luego con el arco. De las intervenciones solistas que se oyeron hasta ahora, esta es la más interesante del contrabajista. Entran Giardullo al mismo tiempo con las escobillas de Tabbal. La melodía de este tema es muy parecida a la del segundo. Calma, tranquilidad e introspección. Da la sensación que cada tema de este cd, si fuese explorado en sus infinitas posibilidades, daría para otros tantos discos. Pero el arte de Giardullo y McPhee está también hecho de capacidad de concentración y economía de medios. Tabbal vuelve al asunto inicial, sin volver a pisar (salvo las cuerdas) el mismo terreno, dando a entender que, después de lo que acaba de decir, todo lo que siguiese dejaría de tener sentido. Y así es, ya que el tema se desvanece un poco más adelante.

6. Nuevo diálogo Giardullo/Bisio con un tempo idéntico al del tema anterior. Tani Tabbal utiliza un set de batería convencional, utilizado en toda su extensión con sabiduría y sensibilidad. Giardullo, estimulado, incrementa la voz del saxo soprano y eleva el tono del discurso musical. Hay aquí un tipo de energía similar al del tema que abre el disco. McPhee entra para calmar los ánimos y hacer que vuelva la quietud del atardecer que ahora vivimos. "Vamos adelante", le dice Giardullo que recupera nuevamente la fuerza inicial, con McPhee convencido, que se une a la fiesta. Es con este material con el que se hacen los grandes discos.

7. Último tema. La coda. Una elegía emocionante creada por Joe McPhee (fliscornio) e Tani Tabbal (batería con mazas), en una tonalidad más oscura y un registro más grave. Cadencia de marcha, triste y hermosa. Parece querer evocar a alguien o un acontecimiento importante. Me sugiere un campo de batalla, una vez acabada la lucha en el que sólo hay destrucción, desolación y pérdida. McPhee es la corneta que homenajea a aquellos que cayeron en el campo de batalla, acompañado por el tambor de Tabbal que de repente deja de redoblar. Miré el título del tema: "Close". Sensación de partida, de despedida, que obliga a resistir.

Este segundo cd del cuarteto de Joe Giardullo es un disco luminoso, muy diferente de los tonos más sombríos que marcaron el anterior Shadow and Light. La comunicación entre Giardullo y McPhee es total en ambos episodios. En términos emocionales, Now Is va de la alegría más vibrante a la tristeza más profunda. Dan ganas de volver al principio y escuchar de nuevo a estas dos almas gemelas, el negro y el blanco, en sentido real y figurado, que se complementan y respiran una sola música.

Tomajazz
July 2003

Eduardo Chagas

Giardullo's Shadow & Light quartet returns with Now Is.  Whereas the group's self-titled debut was informed by the emotions of the day it was recorded - September 11, 2001 - their latest release conveys the quietude of dawn, the energy of daylight, and the contemplativeness of night.   Giardullo focuses on soprano sax, and Joe McPhee interjects on pocket trumpet, flugelhorn, and his own soprano.  Balancing Giardullo and McPhee's uncanny communications are Mike Bisio's sweeping bass and Tani Tabbal's impressionist drumming.   It's Tabbal who most often establishes the compositional tone with rhythms that evoke the humidity of a lagoon at dawn, or the languorous heat of the African desert.   This is music that puts the listener in an earthy, primordial place, registering on the most instinctive level.  Prepare to be transported.

AAJ - New York
March 2003

Jeff Stockton

At one time, the music on this disc would be considered “avant-garde,” but is something “avant” if it was done in 1967, ’75, ’84, and 1998? That mini-rant aside, the music on Now Is is very well-performed free jazz but is not especially memorable. For the most part, the tunes, such as they are, tend to meander about with little apparent focus or impetus – the hub/m.o. seems to be the individual performances and the interplay between the musicians. The playing of Joe Giardullo and Joe McPhee is pointed, passionate and certain and Mike Bisio has a terrific Mingus-like tone, but…as a movie fan, I’ve learned one thing: you can have the greatest director in the world and the coolest cast ever, but if you don’t have a good script you’re not going to have much of a movie.

Jazz Review

Mark Keresman

"Now is" happenin', volkz!   From th' opening note, these cats are hell-bent for leather in their improv... won't stop, can't stop!  This is Joe's third release on the Drimala label this year... high energy playing from some of today's best artists.  Joe does soprano on this outing, Joe McPhee is featured on brass & reeds, bass is performed by one of our favorites, Mike Bisio, & Tani Tabbal does drums & othersuch.  This isn't wall-scratch improvisation, with chickens screamin' as their feathers are plucked; it is, rather, closer to traditional jazz, albeit (as Father Frank would have said) it doesn't smell funny!

Any bass fan out there who has never heard Bisio before is in for an absolute treat... this guy has monster ideas that come squeezin' out through his strings.  His performance on the title track (about 10 minutes in) will hold your ears hostage!  The most impressive part of the (overall) listen, though, is the pace changes... these guys (all) move fluidly together, from high-end boppin' right through to quieter stretches that emphasize the silence(s) between percussives.  Now, this is not music that AM'er's will much enjoy, because you actually have to listen to the intricacies and interplays to hear the language/dialect of "now".  A smashing success of an album that merits an immediate MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from us! 

IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION
Issue 64

Dick Metcalf

What’s that old saying? ‘What one can do well, two can do better’? Musical partnerships are one of the most gratifying ways this time-tested adage plays out to perfection. The professional and personal friendship of saxophonists Joe Giardullo and Joe McPhee is but one example among the countless. Sharing the same first name along with an ever-deepening body of work, these two men continue to trace new trajectories for their creative energies. Previous collaborations have included the Bluette, with bassists Dominic Duval and Michael Bisio, and a duo recording, Specific Gravity, for Boxholder. Now Is arrives as the latest chapter following the artistic success of Shadow and Light, a disc recorded in the Stygian emotional wake of September 11th.

This time out, the overarching mood and temperament is lighter, but no less spiritually or contemplatively saturated. Giardullo and McPhee whittle down their usual horn arsenals, the former sticking solely to soprano saxophone and the latter employing only soprano, pocket trumpet and flugelhorn. It’s a decision that offers a somewhat dubious tradeoff – a chance to hear delegates of McPhee’s brass contingent in detail, but at the expense of his tenor, arguably his most expressive and viscerally satisfying horn. Completing the group are percussionist Tani Tabbal and the aforementioned Bisio on bass.

The seven pieces are largely the product of close listening and free improvisation. As on their earlier outing the ensemble makes beautiful use of its component parts, pairing down into trios and duos as well as operating at full quartet capacity. The mileage of the title track extends over a quarter of an hour (nearly the same temporal relation to the disc’s running time). It compromises focus in places, but still completes a circuit of sensitive, and often emboldened interplay, especially between the lithe spiraling lines of Giardullo’s straight horn and McPhee’s note-spitting trumpet.

“Spin” combines Giardullo’s fluttering avian patterns with the subtle support of Tabbal’s pattering brushed snare and cymbals, and the percolating hum of Bisio’s warmly-pitched strings. The bassist’s switch to chamber-style arco streamers mid-piece sets up a mordant harmonic counterpoint to spryly dancing soprano lines. For “Conference”, McPhee returns, joining Giardullo on soprano atop the porous setting of Tabbal’s mallets and Bisio’s measured pizzicato fills. Each horn is clearly distinguishable with McPhee shaping a wider, more fulsome tone, than his more openly garrulous partner, etching his lines in a somber sadness. A rise in momentum and volume later in the piece, finds the horns orbiting in swift keening curves around the anchoring center of Bisio’s plainly plucked harmonic tether.

“SCINT” and “O.A.O.L.”, both unexplained acronyms, open up further permutations for the band. The latter is a stunning feature for Bisio’s bowed bass, gorgeously pitched and near-flawlessly voiced. Instances like this are where his frequent comparisons to the legendary bassist David Izenzon are at their most fervently apparent. Tabbal’s true test comes in the finale “Close”, where he engages McPhee in a flugelhorn-drums duet cloaked in hypnotic ritualistic overtones. This track also features some of the latter’s most baldly beautiful playing as his reflective phrases slide across an austere mallet-shaped cadence. On par with their earlier Drimala release, but for distinctly different reasons, this disc celebrates an ensemble that has a bright future, one that bodes well for all who will listen.

Dusted
September 22, 2003

Derek Taylor

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