Label: Artist Share, 2020

Personnel - Maria Schneider: composition, conduction; Donny McCaslin: tenor saxophone; Steve Wilson: alto saxophone; Dave Pietro: alto saxophone; Rich Perry: tenor saxophone; Scott Robinson: baritone saxophone; Tony Kadleck: trumpet; Greg Gisbert: trumpet; Nadje Noordhuis: trumpet; Mike Rodriguez: trumpet; Keith O'Quinn: trombone; Ryan Keberle: trombone; Marshall Gilkes: trombone; George Flynn: trombone; Gary Versace: accordion; Ben Monder: guitar; Frank Kimbrough: piano; Jay Anderson: bass; Johnathan Blake: drums.

Big band maven Maria Schneider displays all her compositional and arranging qualities on her new outing, Data Lords, a fan-funded double-disc recording that successfully illustrates two dissimilar worlds: the digital and the real. The message is clear and everything coheres with not just compositional rigor but also opportunities for celebrated soloists to shine. The music, masterfully played by some of the foremost musicians on the scene, is orchestrated with a nice edge that is still very accessible to every jazz follower.

Embracing a universe of indefatigable possibilities, the five tracks on the disc one employ obscurity and uncertainty to sonically depict the Digital World. Meditating on the technological devices that constantly fill the gaps left by our daily activities, “A World Lost” relies on magnetic, if vaguely somber, piano chords that helps building a quietly menacing atmosphere. If master guitarist Ben Monder increases the mysterious tones in an unhurried manner, tenor saxophonist Rich Perry shows off beautiful intonations, extracting a bit more light from his narration.

“Don’t Be Evil” aims Google and their services, which include manipulation, control and selling of data, among other illegal things. It starts by walking stealthily like a Bill Frisell march circa Rambler. Monder injects his adventurous rock fantasy over a gloomy sonic template, being followed by trombonist Ryan Keberle, who imaginatively throws in rhythmic figures with authority, and pianist Frank Kimbrough, whose moderate reflections still channel a little strangeness.

While “Sputnik” takes the form of a solemn ceremony that serves as a showcase for Scott Robinson’s baritone influxes, “CQ CQ Is Anybody There?” provides one of the most spine-chilling experiences on the record. There’s definitely something spectral about this piece, whose eerie y stillness and spellbinding moods favor impeccable statements by tenor titan Donny McCaslin and trumpeter Greg Gisbert. The latter's sound, electronically modified, is simply gorgeous. An overpowering metal-inspired guitar comping is challenged here by horn-driven counter-actions.

“Data Lords”, in an attempt to draw attention to Artificial Intelligence and the dark places it can lead us into, closes out disc one with sweeping orchestral intensity and woozy counterpoint.

As expected, disc two is much more amiable in tone, but no less interesting to follow. Of its six pieces, two were inspired by Ted Kooner’s poems (“Braided Together” and “The Sun Awaited For Me”), and one by a Buddhist temple in Japan and its surrounding gardens (“Sanzenin”). On its part, “Look Up” was consciously penned with Marshall Gilkes’ trombone in mind. Nonetheless, my first choice is “Bluebird”, where Steve Wilson’s alto saxophone cuts across a funk-infused rhythmic grid with expressionistic vibrancy.

Schneider invites us to traverse fantastic orchestral paths elaborated with the same determination, passion and effectiveness demonstrated in previous works. The darker hues are a novelty, but they balance the whole, perfectly conveying the message intended. Welcome to an unmissable, dual sonic trip.

Favorite Tracks:
01 (Disc1) - A World Lost ► 03 (Disc1) - CQ CQ Is Anybody There? ► 05 (Disc2) - Bluebird