Chicago Luzern Exchange

More fine sounds of freedom via Chicago's Delmark label, Several Lights is improvised from scratch yet grounded in sublime sound choices. The four young players (Marc Unternahrer on tuba; Josh Berman on cornet, Keefe Jackson on tenor saxophone and Frank Rosaly on drums) have done their homework to get to ground zero. Unternahrer, from the Swiss city of Luzern, spent five months in Chicago in 2002, where he connected with the rest of the quartet. The legacy of the AACM, and especially the Art Ensemble of Chicago, informs and shapes their musical exploration. Most of the 19 tracks are quite short — elegant fragments of a conversation overheard and documented in real time. On a few occasions when the group decides to stretch out ("Soon Enough” at seven minutes and "Take the Place” at thirteen minutes) they treat time and space like a masterful gagaku ensemble. Highly recommended.