We're presented with yet another release from Bloom Project. This is a more recent one (February 2009) and features only the core duo of Rent Romus (alto & soprano saxophones) and Thollem Mcdonas (piano). We're still squarely in an avant-garde/ experimental jazz universe, but it seems to work better as a duo than as a quartet. With only two players exchanging "riffs" (for lack of a better term), there seems to be, in my opinion, a more cohesive synergy. Sure, it still sounds, for the most part, as if the guys are just warming up instead of actually playing, but I find this particular release has more ominous soundscapes. There's more tension created in the numbers, which produces a darker, denser record.
While I'd still categorize this disc in the "you must 'get it' to fully appreciate it" realm, I found it to be a much more interesting, much less nerve-grating affair than their 2006 quartet release. There seems to be a lot less happening simultaneously, and each member of the duo is given ample room to explore myriad musical avenues.
Track Listing:
- New Light (3:37)
- Radiance (4:39)
- In Noontide (5:37)
- Intimation Dusk (5:01)
- Of Reflection Veil (6:28)
- The Phantom Shade (2:53)
- Shimmer Towards (4:19)
- Sudden Aurora (5:09)
- The Sphere Pyre (4:55)
- Apparition Of Coruscation (2:50)
- Billow Ray Glows (4:21)
- Glimmers In The Twilight (0:47)
- Shines (3:36)