Mauricio Morales and Adam Hersh: Between Dreams and Twilight

Between Dreams and Twilight marks the first joint collaboration between Mauricio Morales and Adam Hersh. The pair became friends when Hersh gave Morales a lift home from the Continental Club in Los Angeles. Their album features nine pieces: three written by bassist Morales, three by pianist Hersh and three co-written.

The duo keep excellent company; they are joined by vibraphonist Warren Wolf, guitarist Mike Moreno and drummer Gary Novak. The album also features the L.A.-based Rogue Lemon String Quartet. These are all musicians with whom Morales or Hersh have established connections through previous work. The resulting music is contemporary and thoughtfully composed, evoking cinematic soundscapes and fantasy themes.

With both their jazz quintet and the string quartet at their disposal, Morales and Hersh command considerable power and scope to create varied soundscapes. They immediately turn this to their advantage in the album opener, "Eurybia." Taking its inspiration from Greek mythology, the track uses shifting instrumental combinations as the band builds their interplay, with Wolf's solo particularly impressive.

Hersh once fully transcribed Wayne Shorter's 1995 Grammy-winning album High Life (Verve Records) and has performed it in its entirety numerous times. His homage to Shorter continues with "Low Life." The string quartet combines with Moreno's guitar before Hersh's flowing piano takes center stage, as he explains, "Straight-up, I just tried to write like Wayne."

Elsewhere, "Reminiscence" is built around Morales' bass theme with the string quartet adding drama, Moreno impresses on the gentle "Cosmic River" and "Sand From A Broken Hourglass" finds Hersh at his best as Novak and Morales provide rhythmic drive before Wolf and the strings take over.

Throughout the album, the arrangements ensure everyone has their moment in the spotlight, though giving each musician their own space occasionally creates a stop-start quality. "Where Olive Trees Wither" exemplifies this; a darker track that keeps threatening to build into something larger but instead opts for a series of faltering crescendos.

Fortunately. Morales and Hersh save some of their best work for last. "Velos De Tormenta" features the quintet weaving subtle lines as they build a sense of calm away from the storm of the title. "Retratos De Vida Interrumpida" has some excellent work from Morales as he threads his bass line through dramatic strings, drums, guitar and piano before another searching vibraphone solo.

These contemporary jazz compositions are often intricate and elaborate, and there is no doubting the terrific musicianship on offer here. Morales, Hersh and their collaborators all shine, making this both a significant step forward for the duo and an encouraging indication of what their partnership might achieve.

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