AP6C: Layers

Have you been wondering lately, where all the thoughtful music has gone? Today we have universities teaming with technical wunderkinds who can flawlessly navigate "Giant Steps" or "Cherokee," and recordings that are showcases of dexterity and complexity, but much of it is devoid of the essence of meaning, in other words, soul. That is, until you push play on Layers by Alberto Pinton Sestetto Contemporaneo (AP6C).

The Italian-born, Sweden resident Pinton has released multiple recordings with his quartet Noi Siamo, a quintet, sextet and trio. This project, AP6C, is something altogether new. He combined the members of his trio, drummer Konrad Agnas and bassist Vilhelm Bromander with frequent collaborators and members of the the Angles, trombonist Mats Äleklint Quartet and vibraphonist Mattias Ståhl, then freshened the mix with his daughter, vocalist/lyricist Selma Pinton.

There is a deliberate leisurely feeling to the music. A sense that he composed the music specifically for these musicians and, in doing so, cut them free to interpret his music. "Leaps" comes together after an opening walking bass, before Selma Pinton and Äleklint cover the lyrics in unison. Pinton's flute and Ståhl's vibraphone hover close, filling in the landscape, a common theme here. The brief "Short Stories" flutters in like an aviary full of birds; scratched cymbal, talking clarinet and cackling trombone with wordless vocalese transform it into a satisfying groove. Selma Pinton delivers a fresh take and poetry and sung verse. Part chamber recital, the music never sheds its swinging edges. Pinton's compositions scatter odd meters, like "14 Bars," and push towards new chamber sounds, as on "Twelve." While his technique, and that of Äleklint and Ståhl, is flawless, the music here is all about the passion and the delivery of emotion.