Cheryl Pyle, Max Ridgway, Randall Colbourne, Modern Art

The trio of Cheryl Pyle, flute, Max Ridgway, electric guitar and Randall Colbourne, drums, is no stranger to these pages. I covered on November 10, 2011 their album "Soul Dust"; "Green Underworld" was reviewed on these pages on May 2, 2013. They return with the latest, "Modern Art". It is for now a download only release, available as mp3's at http://www.cherylpyle.blogspot.com/.

It's another good one, having as the encompassing theme modern artists and their work. Each track is a free improv dedicated to a particular artist. The music has a lightly electronic component here and there, mostly if not all a transformation of Max Ridgway's guitar via effects and filtering, according to my ears.

It's free-flow, free-time collective improv mostly all the way, with a very nice interplay between flute, guitar and drums in a relatively laid-back zone that makes for good listening. Cheryl in her very original way works around selected motifs in gently persuasive, new music terms that nevertheless have jazz flow and continuity. Max counters with lines and chords that have a personal stamp and a wide tonality. Randall keeps energy flowing with nice free-time and/or pulsing essays in percussive sound. They all work together to a highly ear-stimulating end. This is one of their best, maybe the best one, ever.

Watch some of the videos showcasing the artists represented and hear some of the music at the same time. Paste the url as follows into your browser for that: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7mri9NZsd8HglJ4Or24q-qS8jvs63BhL

It's an excellent listen.