Pianist/composer Wayne Horvitz’ latest brainchild is ingrained within his new improvising chamber ensemble. On this venturous session, the musical climate lucidly parallels the black and white CD artwork, depicting a tranquil photo of an East Coast landscape. The quartet generates semblances of introspection, warmth, and seclusion via a potpourri of chamber-jazz type musings. At times somber and ethereal in scope, Horvitz generates deceptively simple piano riffs, softly interweaving with Peggy Lee’s extended cello lines and trumpeter Ron Miles’ cheery choruses. In some instances, the band improvises upon simple frameworks, providing a capacious panorama. Moreover, they produce edgy dreamscapes tinted with the pianist’s elusive phrasings. On the piece titled "Reveille," Horvitz injects a sequence of fleeting electronic background effects, where the quartet embarks upon an alien sojourn, accelerated by Ms. Lee’s droning mini-motifs. Therefore, they conjure up notions of a storm brewing, to coincide with a hybrid, avant-garde/electronica/chamber-jazz foundation.

Whether Horvitz is executing stylish jazz-rock (Zony Mash), or targeting a mainstream jazz vibe, you can take it to the bank that his signature compositional style will surface, regardless of cross-genre applications. And that unto itself speaks proverbial volumes, evidenced here during this absorbing and somewhat modish chamber-based scenario which serves as a vortex for expansion. - Glenn Astarita