Michael Janisch creates a melding of musical civilizations as brings sounds from his bass and percussion to team with mix and matching of Jason Palmer/tp, John O’Gallagher/as, George Crowley/ts, Rez Abbasi/g, John Escreet/key, Clarence Penn/dr and Andrew Bain/dr for clever tunes and tones.
The front line of horns is versatile enough to rock with Abbasi on “Frocklebot” and “Another London” and gallop to the cadence for “An Ode To A Norwegian Strobe.” Abbasi does wonders with Janisch on the laconic “ The JJ I Knew” and takes O’Gallagher’s baton on “Pop.” The team gets hip on “Freak Out” and Jansich adds effects to create intriguing harmonies and textures throughout. Lots of creative ideas that sound smart but also fun.