Ben Monder, Pete Rende, Andrew Cyrille, Paul Motian Amorphae (2015) [qobuz 24 88,2]

The new album from the quartet led by one of jazz’s innovators, drummer Andrew Cyrille, carries the story forward from the 2016 release The Declaration of Musical Independence, a recording which Down Beat hailed as “an unabashed exploration into time, pulse space and atmosphere…ambitious yet simple, rich yet stripped-down, challenging yet infinitely satisfying.” Bill Frisell and Ben Street remain from the Declaration line-up with David Virelles taking the piano role. Each of the players has space for improvisational expression – and Frisell and Virelles also contribute material - but it is Cyrille’s communicative sensibility and what the New York Times called his “watchful, flowing pulse” that guides the band.

Creating a distinctive voice and approach on a musical instrument is as difficult as it is rare. Guitarist Ben Monder has long been admired for his personal sound, remarkable command of the guitar, and stylistic versatility. His new recording, Day After Day (a two disc set), provides a look at two distinct sides of his artistic nature, the highly analytical, structural side and the more freely improvisational side, through a series of interpretations of cover material.

Building on the success of his 2021 solo debut Dio C’è (“wildly ambitious” — AllMusic) and his co-led 2018 effort with pianist Jason Yeager All at Onceness, alto saxophonist Randal Despommier returns with A Midsummer Odyssey, a captivating duo session with guitarist extraordinaire Ben Monder. The central focus is the highly accessible yet always enigmatic music of Swedish baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin (1928-1976). Alternately boppish, cool, bluesy, folkish and chamber-like, Gullin’s pieces afford the Despommier/Monder duo endless opportunities for fresh reinvention. “The goal of this project,” writes Despommier in the liner notes, “was to tap into the spirit of Gullin’s music and present it in a new way. I’m grateful to Ben Monder for joining me on this journey. He helped me hear Gullin’s music differently and added a richness and depth I did not think possible.”