eMusic Review 0
The stunning performances captured on Ghosts of the Sun were recorded five years ago at the same sessions that produced the equally superb Roses, from 2007. These nine pieces are not leftover dregs. Tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry is one of the most exciting and deceptively progressive musicians in jazz, a guy who subverts familiar post-bop forms and sounds to engage in riveting, highly rigorous improvisation flush with gorgeous, zigzagging melodies. He’s got excellent company here, working with fellow bandleaders who’ve been his collaborators for years — the sublime veteran drummer Paul Motian, Bad Plus bassist Reid Anderson, and electric guitarist Ben Monder.
The opening track “Ms. Polley” warmly gets things underway on a rubato-feel ballad with a pretty but pensive melody, but a few minutes into the piece the band kind of pulls the rug out from under itself; McHenry drops out, Motian ratchets up his wonderful attack, with a kind of jagged march, Anderson gently takes the lead with a subdued improvisation, and Monder casts an ominous glow with enveloping yet tamped-down atmospherics. As a listener, it feels as if you’re suddenly lost in a new world of sound that’s both jarring and comforting. “La Fuerza” raises the… read more »
