Rasmussen / Flaherty / Rowden / Corsano - Crying In Space [Relative Pitch Records]

Put out on the circuit via the ever active American imprint that is Relative Pitch Records on January 27th, 2k23 is "Crying In Space", the first full on Improv album conceived by Mette Rasmussen, Paul Flaherty, Zach Rowden and Chris Corsano in this setting. Rolled out over a total of three pieces and a playtime of roughly 42 minutes the four musicians employ a musical arsenal of alto and tenor saxophones, double bass, drums and unspecified objects to embark on two well extended journeys as well as one relatively shorter excursion, all recorded in New Haven, CT on June 23rd, 2k19. Pairing thundering drums with an ever certain elegic vintage oldskool Jazz vibe - think old and grainy black and white movies - and complex, intense sax interactions in the 20+ minutes spanning opener "The Hesitant Nature Of Doubt (Shadow Chase)" the group lays out a demanding Avantgarde Jazz foundation for things to come, with the subsequent "What To Expect When Faking Your Own Death" opening in a tentative, stripped down and partly tongue-in-cheek manner only to evolve into an interesting call-and-response situation which finally turns into a dense jungle of intertwined FreeJazz madness before "Industrial Sabourage Friday" brings forth a final exclamation mark in terms of structurally organized chaos garnished with sustained, longing melodic eruptions for an absolute firework of a closing tune. If you're deep into Avantgarde Jazz this is one to check out for sure.

Album artwork on Instagram!