Fabia Mantwill Orchestra: In.Sight

Slow, haunting strings usher listeners into Fabia Mantwill Orchestra's ambitious album In.Sight. This bold statement involves a 32-piece orchestra with six virtuoso soloists, performing compositions co-written by Mantwill, Snarky Puppy's Michael League and Greek composer Magdalini Giannikou.

The album opens with "Satoyama," where those melancholic strings gradually bloom into bright melodic passages. The piece moves through a soundscape that weaves together jazz, classical and cinematic drama before Mantwill's expressive tenor saxophone emerges as the leading voice. Each composition has been crafted to showcase its featured soloist, and Roosevelt Collier's lap steel guitar is completely engaging on the funky groove of "Whirl The Wheel." The track pulses with luxuriant orchestrations, razor-sharp horn and reed sections and the sweeping drama of a classic spy thriller score.

Berlin-based Mantwill earned widespread praise for her 2021 debut Em.Perience (XJazz Music) and In.Sight demonstrates her continued artistic development, avoiding any difficult second album issues. She has matured her fusion of orchestral palettes and improvisational freedom into something both mature and immediately accessible. Her compositional voice is expanded through her collaboration with League, whose large ensemble work includes his teaming with the Metropole Orkest, and Giannikou's integration of Latin American and Greek folk traditions into a contemporary jazz framework.

Featuring Momi Maiga's kora, the quick-moving transitions of "Circular" blend surging strings, pulsing brass and no small amount of drama. On the Celtic-tinged "Sleeping Giant," Morris Kliphuis' French horn engages in thoughtful dialogue with Goran Stevanovich's accordion. In contrast, Anat Cohen's clarinet nearly steals the spotlight on "Olhos," a piece that channels Henry Mancini's sophistication through its gentle groove. The superb contributions of the soloists come to a close with Kurt Rosenwinkel's soaring rock-influenced electric guitar work on the excellent "Fairy Glen." While the focus inevitably falls on the soloists, the individual contributions from the orchestra and conductor's guiding hand should not be overlooked.

There is a mix of precision and improvisation in Mantwill's compositions; her arrangements manage to feel both widescreen and intimate. The fluid transitions through the passages, along with the instrumental variety, make the soundscape immersive with deeply woven textures drawn from diverse musical traditions. With every piece offering a melodic adventure alongside excellent ensemble writing, this is an easy album to recommend.

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