Label: Pyroclastic Records, 2023
Personnel - Angelica Sanchez: piano; Michael Attias: alto sax; Ben Goldberg: contra-alto bass clarinet; Chris Speed: tenor sax, clarinet; Thomas Heberer: quarter-tone trumpet; Kenny Warren: cornet; Omar Tamez: guitar; John Hébert: bass; Sam Ospovat: drums.
Fascinated by the darkness of the woods, the creatures that inhabit it, and the occasional moonshine from which it borrows some light, pianist and composer Angelica Sanchez presents new compositions that took her six years to write and arrange. Here, she forges ahead in the acoustic nonet setting with a consistency and quality that is visible throughout. Nighttime Creatures is a testament to her strong musical relationship with the musicians that follow her and her art of composing for a large ensemble, all the while leaving space for individual improvisation. Who wouldn’t do that with a band that incorporates top improvisers such as altoist Michael Attias, tenorist Chris Speed, and clarinetist Ben Goldberg?
The title track opens the recording with a strategic balance between highly articulated counterpoint and synchronization. The relaxed narrative is filled with stargazing melodies, mysterious atmospheric suggestions, and firm harmonic sequences that galvanize Goldberg for a delicious contra-alto bass clarinet solo. He’s followed by Attias, whose agile language invites trumpeter Thomas Heberer for an impromptu chat.
“Cloud House” begins with Speed’s tenor lines and later incorporates unimposing piano remarks and the confident bass notes of John Hébert as support. The atmosphere is entrenched with both metaphor and lucidity, and the music becomes sultry at different junctures, just to be steamed up by a tone-defiant solo by Goldberg before ending in radiant orchestral lusciousness. “Land Here” brings in more angularity, passing through a crescendo before landing safely, while “Astral Light of Alarid”, written for Sanchez’s late father, waltzes and explores other rhythms with feeling, sometimes with Latin traces. The pianist delivers a fine statement infused with glaring motifs on this one.
Showcasing the influence of and admiration for pianist Carla Bley, “C.B. The Time Traveler” is set in motion with a lazy flow that gives it a melancholy tone. This rhythmically interesting effort mutates along the way, offering a fluid, slightly funkified groove, concurrent improvs by Goldberg and guitarist Omar Tamez, and accelerations for a bustling finale packed with melodic intersections. Also influenced by Bley’s concept of chronotransduction, is “Wrong Door For Rocket Fuel”, whose tones reminded me of those of the Pink Panther theme but with cross-cutting phrases layering melodic movements like lapping waves.
Admirably and sumptuously arranged, Duke Ellington’s “Lady of the Lavender Mist” contains wonderful movements and solos that can captivate most straight-ahead jazz listeners. The record concludes with “Run”, a rampant association of exuberant sounds that brought to mind Mingus’ swinging fun pieces, all with just enough avant-garde jazz push to make them special.
Making us hypnotized and alert at the same time, this album is a great place to start if you’re not familiar with Sanchez’s music as it represents a big, beautiful picture of what she can do.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Nighttime Creatures ► 02 - C.B. The Time Traveler ► 11 - Run