Harris Eisenstadt: The Soul and Gone

In the midst of all this comes the blowing "Koala #2 (Reduction), which has several factors going for it. Jason Mears lopes in on the alto sax, casting a sturdy path that dazzles in its swift change of direction and the switch of pace and enunciation. Jeb Bishop's trombone is an articulate messenger in finding intriguing nooks. Jeff Parker's guitar beckons with its melodic fervour. At the bottom of it all is Jason Roebke, his bass a stimulus with its varied pulse and interplay.

The take on "And A Hard Place is free expression skittering in on Eisenstadt's drumming. Sound jiggles and dances before the horns stomp in. Which way will they band now go? Will there be meter and time? Will the beat be paced uniformly? The answer comes from Bishop, now playing a melody that has body and shape. This sparks off a looser ambit from Mears, who soon gears the shift into harder terrain. It is all conceptualized logically enough, the different strands finally forming a pulsating whole.

"Three Breaths comes with greater latitude in freedom. Mears and Bishop get involved in quirky structures, countenancing each other with short jabs and curlicues. They bring in an equilibrium but that soon dissipates as the others take their own strands of thought, seemingly in different directions before finding the apex.

The road to discovery is a constant adventure, making The Soul and Gone a stimulating record.

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