Michael Blake puts his soprano and tenor saxes in a wide variety of settings on this latest release. He’s with a foundational team of JP Carter/tp-el, Peggy Lee/cel, Chris Gestrin/p-key, Ron Samworth/g, Andre Lachance/b and Dyal van de Schyff/dr which mixes and matches with some intriguing guests. You get some folksy guitar strumming with Emma Postl/s voice on “Sea Shanty” whle on the other side of the spectrum “Arrivals” is a free flying piece with trumpet and sax reaching for the skies. A funky groove is provided on “Perimeters” and a hectic to frenetic groove pushes and pulls o “ Departures.” Lee’s Cello creates some rich framework on “The Ballad of Gurtid Singh” and Neelamjit Dhillon’s tablas pulsate on “Exaltation.” Blake himself is rich and pungent in tone, acting more like a team player than a dominant force on this sampler of atmospheres.
Songlines Records