PAPATAMUS REDUX

ADHYAROPA RECORDS 0053 (NO RECORDING DATE AVAILABLE)

At first glance, the new release from Richard Nelson and the Makrokosmos Orchestra grabbed my interest. The name conjured up the cosmic sounds and free flowing improvisations of the Sun Ra Arkestra. Then consider the “orchestra” which includes familiar names such as saxophonist Adam Kolker, trumpeter John Carlson, bassists Ken Filiano and Matt Pavolka and drummers Scott Neumann and Rob Garcia, plus an opportunity to check out new names such as saxophonist Tim O’Dell , bass clarinetist Alan Brady and the leader, Richard Nelson or guitar. Three extended cuts promised an opportunity for these players to stretch out. However, at first listen, Dissolve did not grab this listeners attention. On “Dissolve,” for example, long, dense, “Hitchcockian” moods finally gave way to a brief Adam Kolker solo. A Nelson solo on “Float” was sandwiched between what Nelson describes as “floating clouds like sonorities in the wind. Like a box of Cracker Jacks, you have to sift through dense material to find the prize — some solid, yet short solos. 

BOTTOM LINE: If you are a fan of modern jazz meets contemporary classical music, you may appreciate the grandeur and scope of this ambitious project. Personally, I prefer one or the other.