The liner notes of this album by trumpeter Russ Johnson state that the music is “intended to be listened to in its entirety.” This makes sense, as the dozen songs create a suite-like feel with segues produced by solo improvisations by the composer and the remaining team of Rob Clearfield/key, Matt Ulery/b and Jon Deitemyer/dr, resulting in a rich tapestry of sounds.
The longer pieces such as “ Serpent Kane” and “Isthmus” are rich and sublime post bop pieces, with some rich work by Ulery and Deitemyer on the former and bluesy keyboard work on the latter. Johnson is soft on his phrases on “Fjord” while brooding on the title track with using effects on his mouthpiece. Clearfield is spacious on one read of “Transition” while Johnson splats over the nimble bass work on “Transition,” and Deitemyer giving a rich solo on his version of “Transition.” The music moves forward like a rich river, as the artists take various side streams along the path.
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