There’s a sense of interior mystery in Magdalena, the full-length debut of
María Grand. The 26-year-old Swiss native uses her tenor saxophone like a
truth-illuminating candle, her haunting lines exploring every crevice of her
equally somber and arresting compositions. No matter how rapt the
improvisations, an itch of unknowing pervades the search.
A regular in Steve Coleman’s groups, Grand makes music that’s similarly
adventurous. Magdalena expresses her thoughts on the work of family therapist
Virginia Satir, creating music rife with female symbolism. [...]