Tom Collier: Impulsive Illuminations

If you want freedom in your music, Tom Collier brings his vibes and marimba for five pieces that take you on  side roads. His constant companion on all tunes is pianist Richard Karpen; otherwise you get various guests such as Bill Frisell who brings his guitar for a collection of eclectic musings and noodles. Drums supplied by Ted  Poor make “Odious Mode” lean from a quiet vibe intro to kinetic playfulness with piano jingles to loose sidebars. “Out of the Cistern” has Stuart Dempster on trombone and didjeridu which bring extra exoticism to Collier’s marimba as Karpen flutters to the tentative blowings. The closing “Ligneous Oscillations” features Bill Smith’s clarinet  for ten lurching moments of hesitant jolts, while Cuong Vu’s trumpet gasps for air on the eery “Discontinuous Impunity.” A pair of suspenders could have held this up a little better.

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