Label: ears&eyes Records, 2020

Personnel - Doug Stone: tenor saxophone; Nick Finzer: trombone; Matthew Golombisky: bass; Chris Teal: drums.

Quintopus, the five-piece ensemble led by drummer Chris Teal, releases its third full-length album, The Adjacent Possible, maintaining the initial intention of blending contemporary jazz, electro-pop and indie rock music in a genuinely improvised way. The current lineup features regular bassist Matthew Golombisky, tenor saxophonist Doug Stone, who returns after an absence of 10 years, and trombonist Nick Finzer, an absolute novelty here.

The disc features nine deftly executed pieces - five recorded in the studio and four live - tailored to the considerable strengths of the personnel involved. Transpiring a lovely sense of adventure, the group extracts steam and smoke from some ebullient numbers as a balancing point to the lighter offerings.

“Quinto, Straight Ahead” is the first stop of a journey that never stumbles into vulgarity, being presented as a feast of rhythmic figures, counterpoint and improvisation. Advancing in increments, the initial start-stop rhythmic churn relies on throbbing bass lines and razor-sharp drum patterns delivered with abandon.

Curious and explorative, “The Adjacent Possible” takes the game one step further through sax-trombone ripples of variable intensity, bass resolutions and pedals, and responsive drum work. Ramping up the temperature, there are expedite run-ups that land on roaring multiphonics and stirring call-and-response with mirroring phrases between Stone and Finzer.

The interaction between the frontline men continues on “Hooch & Eats”, this time with bluesy tones, before an indie rock rug is placed under their feet. The meaty saxophone lines join the rusty brass tones to fuel the scuzzy garage-rock energy released at the foundation.

While “Declotter” leaves us wandering around with dark drones and static abstraction, “Blue Flux Pulse” roughly push us into the earthly waves of its minimal and insistent one-note riffs. Notes are gradually added and the idea of motivic polyphony gains consistency. This temperate climate morphs into a restless, danceable electro-rock jaunt.

Teal’s smoothly cushioned rhythm stabilizes “Quedo Quatro”, which, besides Latin and electronic music tinges, features both circular and ululating phrases that stem from the horn section. It’s a distinct vibe of that offered in “Tranca Feca”, where the group burrows into an empathic alternative rock that could have been inspired by the unrefined post-punk of Joy Division, the decorous muscularity of The Breeders, or a dance-rock hit from the 80s.

Being more lighthearted than soul-searching, The Adjacent Possible is a fun ride well suited to this cutting-edge era of stylistic fusion.