Mosaic

Subterrenea

EDITION. CD/DL

Debut album from vibraphone-led contemporary sextet.

VIBRAPHONIST RALPH Wyld’s first CD since winning the Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize in 2015 is a bold and creative statement, combining playful invention, full-blooded improvisation and ethereal beauty. Taking his contemporary jazz cue and inspiration from the likes of Wheeler and Dave Holland, and modern classical masters like Steve Reich, Wyld creates ebbing, evolving music which moves between pointillist minimalism, electro-acoustic soundscapes and post-bop intensity with persuasive flow and purpose. The themes are strong and unpredictable while the improvisations have a presence and swagger belying the players’ tender years. Kudos to Scott Chapman (drums) and Misha Mullov-Abbado (bass) for their authoritative, stimulating rhythm work, but James Copus (trumpet), Sam Rapley (clarinets) and Cecilia Bignall (cello) each make their mark on this outstanding debut.