Guitarist and composer Ian Wardenski is creating a catalogue of albums that walks the fine line between post bop jazz and rockfish fusion. This latest album is a five movement suite mixing and matching guest vocalist Tamara Tucker with Mercedes Beckman/as, Savino Palumbo/p, Amy Shook/b and Frank Russo/dr
Tucker’s wordless voice helps build up the drama following Shooks’ lead in on “Movement II” while adding to the darkness of Palumbo’s spacious work on “Movement IV”. Wardenski’s own work romps with Beckman on “Movement I” , with Russo’s pulsations driving the undercurrent for spotlights on the leader and Shook on “Movement III” before things close on a climactic surge of “Movement”. There are moments of fragile tenderness as well as majesty, tidepools of tenderness and crashing white caps of ideas. Grey matter grooves.