dAvid TrAnchinA

Grey Sky (Orenda 0042)

This music delights in gently bearing us off on oneiric journeys past halfheard sounds towards improbable destinations. Then, just when your eyelids are fluttering and you’re wondering if you’ve just missed a moment, or whether that’s just the way the music-dream unfolds, it jolts you into harder-edged consciousness with a piece of skimming bop called Yotabytes. On his debut album as leader the LA bassist-composer David Tranchina is joined by Gary Fukushima (keyboards), Trevor Anderies (drums) and singer Argenta Walther. The latter makes a striking first entrance on The Flood, singing wordlessly against a tumult that unwinds to a mood close to serenity. The opening When Will It Rain? begins with a Neckslike piano ostinato, which slackens against swishing brushes that blur the edges of the sparse, monumental bass notes.