CHRIS COCHRANE COLLAPSIBLE SHOULDER BIG BAND – LIVE 2019: A MAP OF BOOKS (Cuneiform Records) (Release date: 28th March, 2025)

This album captures two concerts with a dizzying array of players and instrumentation. It starts with a Robert Pollard rocker – “Here we go” before the angular guitar and screeching violin enters on a consummate cover of Fred Frith’s ‘Hola, On Danse’. ‘Insomnia’ starts with ripples of piano, a more restrained violin playing a central role; the juxtaposition of the slightly off the wall guitar with the standard jazz-soul strong structure working inexplicably well. ‘Interdependence’ has a jerky, marching rhythm, violin once again to the fore as the music crescendos then flattens out into an atmospheric climax with some freaky guitar, steady bass and insistent drumming. Another vocal number ‘Glass’ is the longest number so far at nearly six minutes, an authentically impressionistic piece. ‘No Justification’ is a funkier affair sung with real attitude. ‘Azarel’ has a heavy vibe while ‘Ideal Situation’ marks another change in mood to a more reflective instrumental mode. The next track is co-credited to Erik Satie, very intense reprising some of the earlier music with a piercing guitar break. ‘The Fall of Saigon/ Rain’ (This Heat) clocks in at nearly eight minutes. With its surreal lyricism and intense waves of sound it sums up how esoteric the music is: expect the unexpected!

A map of books is more like a box of magical tricks, and recommended for anyone who likes their music both off the edge and dead centre.