This release from Myra Melford's first Extended Ensemble tour -- trumpeter Dave Douglas and saxophonist Marty Ehrlich were added to a trio that included bassist Lindsey Horner and drummer Reggie Nicholson -- is revealing in that it displays, more than any of her other recordings to date, that she's charting her own development while in transition. Of the five pieces here, two, "That the Peace," and "Evening Might Still," were written purposely for the trio plus horns; they score in lots of room for improvisation and dynamic while being closely arranged. Of the others that were written for the trio and expanded upon, "La Mezquita Suite," which encompasses four different compositions, explores how many pairings and trios can exist inside them. There is plenty of room for soloing, but it is interesting to note how Melford's own role changes from one movement to the next. The title composition is an exercise in both the interplay of sonorities and in how, in various intervals, one instrument, when shaded by others, can take on an entirely different persona. In all, Even the Sounds Shine is a beautifully guided tour through Melford's musical psyche of the time. Possibilities and problems present themselves with startling regularity and are either resolved, transmuted, or abandoned. This is exhilarating listening, and a historical look at Melford's development as a composer as she moved from her trio setting into something more dimensional and challenging. - Thomas Jurek
Tracks
1. Even The Sounds Shine
2. La Mezquita Suite (Duet, Waltz, La Mezquita, If Not Love) In Memory Of Lona Foot
3. That The Peace
4. Part II Frank Lloyd Wright Goes West To Rest
5. Evening Might Still
MARTY EHRLICH alto saxopone, clarinet
LINDSEY HORNER double bass
REGGIE NICHOLSON drums
MYRA MELFORD piano
DAVE DOUGLAS trumpet
All music composed by Myra Melford
Recorded May 5-6, 1994 at Börse, Wuppertal
hatOLOGY - hatOLOGY 597 (Switzerland)