Free jazz, mostly upbeat, that relies on some brisk modern composing with a sound of its own -- not quite abstract, kind of catchy, but weird enough to get thrown out of a jazz club. Band includes sax/trumpet leads and occasional keys or electronics.

Tracks 2 and 4 have unified moods, but the others are built in multiple phases, so the part you're digging at any given moment tends to shift into something totally different within a couple minutes. Feels a bit too mashed-up sometimes, but makes for some nice aural journeys.

SoCal band: Bruce Friedman (trumpet), Lynn Johnston (sax/clarinet), Emily Beezhold (electric piano, Korg MS2000), Dan Krimm (electric bass), Rich West (drums, accordion, "pieces")

1- (11:05) Tuneful and nearly straight, mid/fast with a strong air, even gets funky for a bit.
2- (7:01) Spare but mid/fast, a jumbly abstract space that builds a shimmering jazzy sound later
3- (11:38) Upbeat riff (robotically happy) and a loud free-for-all. Then, a quiet improv middle with piano
4- (7:22) Wild and brash, w/ electronics and some dark piano.
5- (8:09) Cool electric-piano groove, after an artsy mid/fast intro, then a quiet segment before a squawky kind of funk ends it.
6- (9:12) Dark, slow start. Later, weird perky dances with Balkan roots and some manic buzzing sax
7- (18:05) Shifts quickly between perky/loud phases and slower, drawn out ones, all quite jazzy but very "outside." Starts with 6 minutes of electronic hum, quiet.