The loping, seven-note "Luminous Bridges" is another Grolnick-esque tune on which Wilson build up intensity ever so gradually until the theme is abruptly slowed down and softened in the coda.
"Electrochemistry" is an impish, free-flowing vehicle for Bloom's electronically-modified soprano and shows off her ability to use technology to enhance — not bring down — the music's integrity. She and Clement do an amazing unison run that takes the song out cleanly before the four minute mark.
The graceful "A More Beautiful Question" is performed with a soprano-piano-bass format with wistful lines coyly unfolding like a Carla Bley piece. Clement's rapport with Bloom is on par with the master Fred Hersch's, whom Bloom had used so effectively as her piano foil on albums past.
Elsewhere, Bloom continues to mix it up. “Multiple Choice” is advanced bop that's simultaneously complex and catchy. "Meantal Weather" is an excursion into Ornette Coleman territory with a harmolodic melody navigating skillfully through a 5/4 beat. "Cello On The Inside" is a tender, Wayne Shorter type ballad played virtually as a duet with Clement, with Helias and Wilson keeping low profiles.
The closing "First Thoughts/This Nearly Was Mine" is a solo performance by Bloom, who remains melodic and plays thoughtfully throughout. It illuminates her ability to reign in her talents enough in order to remain listenable despite her adventurous side.
The CD also contains a nifty little bonus I haven't seen anywhere else: a single MP3 file that contains the music of the CD as an unbroken stream to simulate how Bloom and her group performs it in concert.
Twenty-eight years after her first album as a leader, Jane Ira Bloom has produced what may be her crowning achievement. If you're curious about the music of this unjustly overlooked maestro of soprano saxophone and expressive jazz, the place to start is at the present. Mental Weather will tell you most everything you need to know about what is great about Bloom.
photo by Matthew Sussman (no, not that Matthew Sussman)
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