The Sky Below

After six volumes of solo guitar interpretations of the compositions of , delivers his fifth album of original material, a proper sequel to his riveting 2017 concept offering . According to the guitarist, "If was the introduction to the characters, the songs on this album are their children, bearing their features but finding their own way." Therefore, the eight compositions on cover themselves in archetype, mystery, and magic with most of the same group. The lone exception is that pianist and electric keyboardist replaces here. Complex narrative lines and counterpoint are the hallmark of 's tunes on . Opener "Rise and Shine" juxtaposes Spanish flamenco and Argentinean tango motifs from the guitarist and before the ensemble joins in, with 's taut rim shots and 's knotty, bumping bass lines syncopating and stretching time signatures as switches to Fender Rhodes, weaving contrapuntal melody lines through 's playing; they make an umbrella of labyrinthine lyricism, full of mischief and delight as a harmonic foundation. "Dog Star" is introduced by 's funky bass line and a roiling series of breaks from . As weaves skeins of notes in repetitive yet labyrinthine patterns, improvises with a Prophet-6 synth, creating a doorway for the guitarist to stretch out. "Anthemoessa," is a respite, with its languid lyric line unfolding in expressionist chord voicings from on both piano and synth; the mood shifts and the harmony fragments in 's precise and soulfully wrought arpeggios. "Seven Sisters" opens with a limpid acoustic guitar in clear tones amid restrained and fluid percussion. shifts over to electric guitar in union with electric keys that play toy piano-like sounds and hover about punctuating his lines. When combined with 's staggered, heavily accented percussion and the sheer physicality of 's bass line, they join to create a solid kaleidoscopic melodic architecture from seemingly etheric beginnings. "Monstropolous" is a dead cross between abstract bebop and the quizzical compositional complexities of , complete with squiggling synths, pointillistic guitars, and spiraling rhythm section. "The Castaway" and "The Lighthouse" are differing contrasts in futuristic jazz-funk extending itself from complex post-bop. The former engages with elements of progressive rock a la mid-'70s , while the latter's simultaneous contrapuntal soloing by and explodes notions of conventional lyricism as the two players engage in spirited contrapuntal improvisation. The blur of rolling snares and choppy strummed acoustic guitar vamps on "To Dream Again" introduces a ballad that's approached in layers. Finger-plucked atonal guitar strings atop minimal, angular, shard-like keyboard melodies and dancing snares hover amid single and double-note bass lines in a lopsided waltz tempo that eventually dissolves into drifting psychedelia. Though is considered by its composer to be a sequel to , the strident and easily memorable identities of these tunes stand on their own to fill out a separate work showcasing some of 's most resonant compositions, all delivered by a truly inspired quartet. ~ Thom Jurek