Here’s an ambitious and energetic big band album, recorded in concert at the National Kauhsiung Center for the Arts back in 2021. Bassist and ldader Vincent Hsu puts together a nine movement suite entitled “The Spirit of Live River and Mississippi River” for a 12 piece orchestra. The harmonic textures a re exquisite, as on the “Overture: Cotton Field” and some excellent soloing during the “Rumba For The River Trilogy” by Chieh-Ah Fan” and Shen-Yu Su”. Things sometimes get a bit assertive and the traffic gets jammed on the assertive “A Pilot’s Day On The Mississippy River” but you can’t blame it on a lack of enthusiasm, with some field hand clapping on the R&B ish “River Workers” and earthy “ Oya”. Bright hues.