Esthesis Quartet: Time Zones

Time Zones is the second album by the Esthesis Quartet, comprised of four accomplished women, all whom do indeed reside in different time zones. Flutist Elsa Nilsson, originally from Sweden, lives in Brooklyn, NY; pianist/vocalist Dawn Clement makes her home in Denver, CO; bassist Emma Dayhuff lives in Chicago, drummer Tina Raymond in California, where Time Zones was recorded.

The four first met at various festivals, conventions and other sessions around the country, drawn together by a mutual love for improvised music and a willingness to take creative risks. During the first Covid lockdown they met via Zoom to share their compositions and ideas, the fruit of which was their first album, Esthesis Quartet (Orenda, 2021).

The new recording consists of seven original compositions, three by Clement, two apiece by Raymond and Nilsson. The opener, Clement's "Blue Light," was inspired by blinking traffic lights while driving home alone at night. Its pensive introduction gives way to a spirited midsection punctuated by Nilsson's animated flute before returning to its more solemn onset. Raymond's dancing "Brush Fire" recalls the disastrous Woolsey fire that burned nearly 100,000 acres in 2018, while Clement's tranquil "New Yorker" (on which she sings) is based on the poem "Scylla and Charybdis" by Megan Fernandez.

Clement's lively blues, "Hollywood," applauds the nickname given to her by drummer Matt Wilson. Her solo is bright and clever, as are her appearances elsewhere. Raymond authored the shadowy "Serial," inspired by the podcast of that name (and using what seem to be electronic enhancements to make its point). Nilsson composed the last two numbers, "First Light" and "Getting Through," the former exemplifying one's first peaceful moments on awakening, the latter (originally a ballad) presenting a powerful and fast-paced glimpse of hard times, self-imposed or extraneous.

Individually and collectively, the members of the quartet are exemplary, the music commendable and at times more than that (especially the finale, "Getting Through," on which everyone excels). In sum, an inch below "excellent" but knocking hard at that door and well worth hearing.