Daniel Carter - Matthew Putman - Patrick Holmes - Hilliard Greene - Federico Ughi: Telepatia Liquida

New York-based improvising stalwart Daniel Carter (reeds, trumpet) and other regional artists perform on this 37-minute improv fest, marked by alternating flows and shifting cadences. The album title translates into a 'telepathic understanding,' which of course, is always a positive component for free-spirited dialogues and fruitful artistic ingenuity.

Classically trained pianist Matthew Putman is a noted scientist specializing in nanotechnology, and gets the job done here as he comps, mimics and enjoys fertile dialogues with his cohorts. Ultimately, the musicians navigate through alterable missions, developed with passion, polytonal layers and expand-contract type exchanges. One pleasantry in particular is that the quintet doesn't hang out in one place for too long. For example, on "Shine-a-Town" drummer Federico Ughi launches the proceedings with a tribal motif on his toms, followed by Carter's fuming tenor sax lines and counterbalanced by Putnam, as the soloists go round robin amid mutable flows, projecting sorrow, repentance and exuberance. Moreover, they raise the pitch with a sense of urgency via Patrick Holmes' howling clarinet phrasings atop Ughi's tumultuous drumming and Putnam's hammering block chords.

The third and final track, "Throne" features the frontline's three-way dialogues, somewhat akin to connecting pieces of a puzzle, leading to the rhythm section's simmering undertows and Ughi's Latin beats. Here, the band ventures from pulsating mid-tempo improvisational flurries to the wide open world of free bop, contrasted with moody advances and the drummer's swaying rock grooves, along with quiet interludes and emotive soloing. No doubt, the artists' strong-willed solidarity, perceptive interactions and clear-sighted focus spawn a lot of goodness throughout these multifaceted implementations.

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