Christopher Zuar Orchestra: Exuberance

Composer/arranger Christopher Zuar's second album, Exuberance, recounts in musical terms a twisting yet picturesque journey that began seven years earlier, in 2017, when Zuar first met his now-wife, the animator Anne Beal, at MacDowell, the famed artists' residency in New Hampshire. While the relationship "blooms" in winter, there are "moments between" and other inescapable detours until "certainty" erases any lingering doubts, "exuberance" carries the day and Zuar and Beal are united as one.

Yes, the music is thematic, but as in many such cases, that becomes more or less irrelevant once Zuar's stellar 18-piece orchestra (and invited guests) delve into his sleek and luxuriant compositions and arrangements. What emerges is simply impressive contemporary jazz that happens to reprise a narrative. Zuar uses a diverse array of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic accessories to reach his goals, one of which is to touch his listeners and command their wholehearted receptivity to and immersion in what is basically a personal odyssey of discovery and revision.

To do so, Zuar invites his audience to share the experience as "In Winter Blooms," enriching its alluring terrain with thoughtful solos by bassist Drew Gress and tenor saxophonist Jason Rigby. The path to true love, however, is seldom without its pensive "Moments in Between," depicted here by an orchestral requiem enfolded by Matt Holman's flugelhorn. Afterward, a feeling of spiritual kinship prevails, as exemplified on the exuberant "Communion," on which pianist Glenn Zaleski and violinist Sara Caswell spearhead the comforting voices.

"Simple Machines," much like "Communion" a lively portrait of the North Carolina fiddle tradition in which Beal was raised, includes buoyant solos by Caswell, tenor Ben Kono and mandolinist Joe Brent, after which "Before Dawn" changes the temper from carefree to cloudy, with Mark Ferber's steady tom-toms presaging incisive solos by guitarist Pete McCann and altoist Charles Pillow. The lustrous and colorful "Certainty" (showcasing Zaleski's congenial piano) follows, leading at last to "Exuberance," buoyed by Zuar's delightful chart, the pleasing voice of Emma Frank (reciting lyrics by Beal) and thoughtful statements by alto Dave Pietro and trumpeter Scott Wendholt.

The journey ends with that compassionate vibe, denoting the happy (and hopefully lasting) union between Zuar and Beal, Zuar and his music, Zuar and his orchestra. There is much cause for Exuberance, not least of which is the arrival of a splendid album of big-band jazz.

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