This is the fifth album by Axis, seven-part suite of electroacoustic excursions, recorded this time from saxophonist Ron Caines outwards (rather than being initiated by Martin Archer) with Hervé Perez adding laptop and sound processing.
I found this recording somewhat enigmatic: otherworldly and bordering on impenetrable and yet quite accessible in terms of far out forms of avant-garde jazz, even rather subdued. It might be best described as impressionistic rather than melodic and, despite there being five other musicians besides the trio mentioned earlier involved, seldom does any musician enter the musical space to any significant degree, only in occasional cameos by pianist Laura Cole, electric guitarist Anton Hunter and a rhythm section of Gus Garside on double bass and Johnny Hunter on drums and percussion. These fellow travellers got a bit lost in the mix somehow when I would have liked to have heard a lot more from them. The exceptions may have been in the fourth part, the piece I found the most attention-drawing overall where Martin Archer employs his B flat clarinet and where I noticed the other players to a more significant degree, and the first part where my attention was drawn to the cello and double bass playing. It could be that repeated listening is required to penetrate the depths of this perplexing, and intriguing, recording, not always the prerogative of a busy reviewer!
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