The real mark of the album’s brilliance is in its economy. Postma was inspired,
in part, by Chicago’s avant-garde jazz community, and that influence is clear
on tracks like “Heart To Heart” or “Scáthach’s Isle Of Skye.” Drummer Dan Weiss
and bassist Matthew Brewer evoke the Art Ensemble’s rhythmic clarity and
angularity, leaving a wide expanse for Postma and trumpeter Ralph Alessi to
swim around in and bind together like atoms. And on the few tracks that pianist
Kris Davis contributes to, particularly the dreamy “Aspasia And Pericles,” the
mode of her playing is more Satie-like, daubing the edges of the songs with
shiny streaks of color.
