Angelica Sanchez Nonet

Adding another musical arrow to her bolstered quiver, New York pianist Angelica Sanchez hits a bullseye with compositions that expand her usual writing for combos to a larger nonet. Made up of hand-picked exploratory improvisers, the ensemble of three reeds, two brass, two string players and drums means that she’s able to mix and match all necessary sound colors within the 11 tracks’ arrangements.

With an economy of notes and keen sense of when to play, Sanchez’ pianism is often the leitmotif that ties together the performances. Besides this Thelonious Monk-like economy of form, best expressed on “C.B. the Time Traveler”, where isolated piano key plinks underline the contrapuntal repartee between brass and reeds, her playing also expresses elements of Duke Ellington swing/sophistication keyboard blend. Ironically this crafty cheerleading is best expressed on tunes where keyboard breaks introduce group cadenced rhythm following solo spots. “Lady of the Lavender Mist “, the band’s one Ellington cover, actually features delicate keyboard comping. More comprehensive  is Chris Speed’s clarinet solo that epitomizes gentle swing.

Speed’s liquid clarion output is harmonized with Ben Goldberg’s contra alto clarinet snorts on tunes like “Big Weirdo”. Their broken octave lines are also decorated by arabesque flutters or triplets from cornetist Kenny Warren and trumpeter Thomas Heberer, with the narrative culminating in whole band polyphony. In contrast, tracks such as “Ringleader” and “Cloud House” find Goldberg’s basement growls judiciously applied to create continuum alongside John Hébert’s double bass thumps and Sam Ospovat’s drum rolls. This provides context for the buoyancy arising from guitarist Omar Tamez single-string plucks and quiet alto saxophone flutters from Michaël Attias on “Ringleader’. Contra alto clarinet variations complement piano key tolling on “Cloud House” to preserve its bouncy theme even as saxophone rasps and burbles threaten to upset linear motion.

Like the Ellington and earlier Count Basie bands the soloists’ skill reflects the location in which they’re positioned by Sanchez’ compositions and arrangements which encompass languid ballads, accelerated rhythm tunes and affiliated groove and stop time affiliations. Separating one input from the other its usually difficult, though both contribute to the session’s quality.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Nighttime Creatures 2. C.B. the Time Traveler 3. Cloud House 4. Astral Light of Alarid 5. Lady of the Lavender Mist 6. Land Here 7. Ringleader 8. Big Weirdo 9. Wrong Door for Rocket Fuel 10. Tristeza 11. Run

Personnel: Kenny Warren (cornet); Thomas Heberer (quarter-tone trumpet); Michaël Attias (alto saxophone); Chris Speed (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Ben Goldberg (contra alto clarinet); Angelica Sanchez (piano); Omar Tamez (guitar); John Hébert (bass); Sam Ospovat (drums)