Deciduous Midwestern Edition Vol. 1

AVANT-GARDE ENSEMBLE JAZZ

Rent Romus works in Oakland now, but was born in northern Michigan. Here he leads a group of fellow Midwesterners on a set of collaborative improvisations. Line up includes saxophones, wooden flutes, trumpet & baritone horn, acoustic & electric piano, bass, drums & various percussion. Somewhat “out there,” but still pretty accessible to most jazz fans.

No FCC issues.

1 ** Mid-tempo. Warm, melodic phrases from the trumpet, alto sax & soprano sax go ‘round & ‘round, intertwine. A relatively pleasant, approachable piece. (4:01)
2 ** String bass intro. Snake-charmer soprano sax enters. Piano, bass, drums join too, quiet & minimal at first. It builds; gets louder. Second half is free: flutes, noises, perc. (14:03)
3 Mid-fast. Free & loose. Leads by tenor sax & trumpet. Electric piano adds a Zawinul-like fusion flavor. (6:37)
4 Mid-tempo. Scattered bits. Squawks & squeaks. Odd sounds scurrying about. (14:46)
5 * Gentle start: keys & bass, a bit of drum. At 2:30, horns join; it gets wild & loud. (10:19)
6 * Quiet hand-drum solo. Wood flute & forest sounds create a primitive scene. Saxes join after several minutes. While improvisational, maintains an impressionistic affect. (11:47)
7 Mid-slow. Independent free improv by saxes & baritone horn all mixed together. (3:55)
8 * Slow. Hesitant start. Finally finds a way forward. Strange but pretty cool. (3:50)
9 Slow, languid, legato. Woven saxes, trumpet, piano. Gets faster, louder, anxious. (8:09)