Consentrik Quartet [180g 2 LP] in Bloomington, MN

Consentrik Quartet
is
Nels Cline
's fourth album on
Blue Note
. In keeping with the aesthetic followed on previous titles for the label, he shifts lineups and direction here. This marks the recorded debut of his quartet with saxophonist
Ingrid Laubrock
, drummer
Tom Rainey
, and bassist
Chris Lightcap
. Given their collective credits, to call this album diverse is inaccurate.
Set-opener "The Returning Angel" is introduced with rubato solo playing and trance-like arpeggios above a brushed drum kit, a mournfully tender saxophone, and a sparse bassline. It's a mysterious meditation that gels into a mysterious post-bop ballad.
Lightcap
's strident upright bass vamp introduces "The 23."
Cline
weaves slashed chord figures under it as
Rainey
bumps and pushes;
Laubrock
maintains the lyric frame until taking an incendiary solo rich in harmonic assertions. At two minutes in, she and
reference
Hermeto Pascoal
's samba approach before
's Latinized groove claims the fore.
delivers a glorious solo, equal parts jazz-rock, surf, and funky swing. "Surplus" showcases a joint frontline in a knotty, fingerpopping vamp underscored by
's groove and
's illustrative chord voicings.
punches his tom-toms and a rimshot snare before adding a syncopated hard bop vibe.
's solo is tight, expressive, and deep in its relative brevity. She's answered by
in a fluid solo with astonishing arpeggiatic invention. "Slipping Into Something" begins as a guitar and bass ballad before the saxophonist and drummer enter to transform the entire flow into mutant jazz-funk.
quotes from "On Broadway" when trading fours with
in a section. Her solo, offered initially in the horn's lower register, spurs
on to match her lines as the rhythm section gets very physically assertive. They initiate "Allende" with a nuevo flamenco cadence kissed by cymbal washes and an authoritative bassline, all illumined by
.
enters playing a moody modal melody as the tune journeys across a pallete of tones, modes, and harmonic nuances. "The Bag" was composed for
. It showcases his masterful drumming in delivering intricate conversational textures, and charging swing in support of
's kinetic improvisation.
's intricate phrasing with
's bassline underscore the tune's momentum. "Satomi" is nearly ten-minutes long. Its loopy, dance-like vamp is played in unison before the band breaks it down to solo simultaneously. The interplay between sax and guitar is complementary to the point of revelation. Later, the tune gets more abstract and raucous. Notable inspirations reflect the influences of
Ornette Coleman & Prime Time
and
Frank Zappa
. "Question Marks (The Spot)" is introduced by a lyrical
solo. When the band enters they walk a floating line between the communicative interplay of
Coleman
's band and
Arthur Blythe
's less-structured group communication on albums such as
Lenox Avenue Breakdown
. The guitarist and saxophonist trade skronky fours in call-and-response. Bursting with ideas and near symbiotic ensemble play,
's
is a bracing statement by this wonderful group and a future-forward approach to jazz. ~ Thom Jurek