Karolina Strassmayer, Drori Mondlak and David Friedman: Speak Your Truth

The creative duo of saxophonist/flutist Karolina Strassmayer and drummer Drori Mondlak have been making exciting music together for over two decades. The pair seamlessly fuses the composed and the improvised on their engaging releases, that are usually, in intimate quartet settings. Speak Your Truth is a departure from their past work yet a logical evolution of it as it is an entirely improvised set.

Joining Strassmayer and Mondlak on this stimulating journey is intrepid vibraphonist David Friedman. Together the trio builds the sublime centerpiece of this uniformly superb album, "Dream in Three Movements." In a nocturne-like ambiance, Strassmayer's wistful and yearning alto floats over the percussionists' resonant chimes and soft rustles. Friedman takes center stage, first with a hint of melancholy. Then, with Mondlak's up-tempo cadence driving the tune, Friedman plays a bright melody. Strassmayer enters with her lyrical refrains adding to the exuberance of the performance that closes with Caribbean hints.

"Drum Roll, Please" is a whimsical Mondlak and Friedman duet. The two musicians showcase their virtuosity on their respective instruments all the while carrying on a smart and witty conversation. Friedman's crisp tones bounce off Mondlak's thundering beats with agility and elegance. Their breathtaking exchanges simmer down to a naturally serene conclusion.

The title track, which also starts off the recording, is contemplative and features Strassmayer weaving a poetic tale with her wailing and muscular saxophone. Mondlak's rumbling drums add an expectant dimension while they buoy the saxophonist's full-bodied phrases. The drummer anticipates his partner's ideas and responds to them with perfect synergy.

Strassmayer opens the sublime "New Dawn Light" with her flittering flute lines. Friedman adds another melodic layer to the piece with his rolling mallets. Mondlak lays down a darkly hued rhythmic framework that makes this extemporization a harmonious three-way musing imbued with subtle spirituality.

Interspersed in between the longer pieces are brief solo gems like Strassmayer's flute extemporization, the beautifully cinematic "Casting Shadows." Another intriguing and brilliant nugget is Mondlak's unaccompanied "Cymbalese." On it, the Mondlak coaxes surprisingly subtle nuances out of his kit.

Speak Your Truth is an imaginative work of spontaneity, virtuosity, and camaraderie. It benefits immensely from shared artistic vision among the trio members. Equally accessible and delightfully unpredictable, it is Strassmayer and Mondlak's best work to date.

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