Label: Self released, 2020

Personnel - Sojoy: vocals; Stu Dias: vocals, composition; Eric Klaxton: tenor sax, clarinet; Matt Langley: soprano, tenor and baritone saxes, bass clarinet; Nick Mainella: tenor sax, clarinet; Zach Lange: trumpet; Josh Gagnon: trombone; Scott Kiefner: bass; Jonny Peiffer: drums, composition.

Ambistellar, the new outing from Jonny Pfeiffer’s Sojoy with the participation of singer/songwriter Stu Dias, narrates stories inspired by mythologies and constellations that also connect to ancient civilizations. Pfeiffer - the drummer, arranger and main composer for the chord-less septet based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire - co-wrote the 14 tracks on the album with Dias, relying on a pliable five-horn frontline to give them a varied range of expression. Together, they cram a melange of styles into a coherent whole, with the players toggling effortlessly between the composed and the improvised worlds.

“It’s Lonely Up Here” takes the shape of a vocals-over-bass pop song before blossoming into a fully jazzified orchestral section that leads to the end. The lyrics are about the giant huntsman Orion and his post-mortem solitude after Zeus has placed him among the stars as a constellation.

With Dias alternating vocal dynamics according to the intensity of its distinct 4/4 and 3/4 passages, “Nothing is Broken” balances rock, jazz, and R&B into a wave of energy, but doesn’t back off from a sort of cabaret impression that feels at once artsy and dramatic. “He Loved There Honey” is another example, yet blurred by the inebriated, lullaby-ish singing.

Despite of its title, “Calm” is not a ballad but rather an elated, funkified cyclic motion underpinned by a groovy bass ostinato. Somehow recalling Tom Waits in the wry manner that it's stated, the piece loses grace when watery effects (connected to the theme of a flying fish) mold the vocals.

Having a sturdy bass and incisive drums working hard at the bottom layer, “Wing and Fin” brings a relaxed and carefree sense of adventure, allowing the central spot to be filled with trumpet and clarinet. Their statements trigger responses from the remaining horns.

Embracing melodic counterpoint, a lounging swinging pulse and classic film-noir temper, “Big Bad” features multiple, simultaneous soloists. In fact, the horns remain alert throughout, responding to the spoken word with adequate expressive dimension while unisons mark the final section.

Part epic, part plaintive, “Bird Of Paradise” boasts chirping-like ostinatos as figurative ornaments for a 6/4 sonic flow that, for moments, brings Sun Ra’s space voyages into mind. The group offers a totally different atmosphere with “My Kin Decide”, whose instrumental similarities with Santana’s “Smooth” are noticeable. The understated Latin feel here turns into festive on the playful “I’m Dreaming, She Murmured”.

Pfeiffer sets the pace for the band on the sinuous “The Snake Charmer”, and his effective drum play, with resounding kick drum and rattling snare, is stressed during the whole enchantment. The uplifting closing track of the album “Draw Tight Your Bowstrings” displays a radiant tenor solo.

Jazz influences are front and center on Ambistellar, an aptly arranged collection of tunes with some infatuating melodic and rhythmic contents.