Wake an Echo (feat. Matt Ulery, Rob Clearfield, Geof Bradfield, Marquis Hill & Jon Deitemyer)

Wake an Echo is the follow-up to 2011’s critically praised Flora. Fauna. Fervor. The earlier album featured compositions for a large group, but here the Chicago-based bassist and leader Matt Ulery writes for a quintet. His fine band is made up of trumpeter Marquis Hill, bass clarinetist Geof Bradfield, pianist Rob Clearfield, and drummer Jon Deitemyer. “The Lady Vanishes” can resemble well-crafted pop, but parts hint at minimalism, and the overall vibe says “jazz.” The melancholy, slowly paced “In Every Lovely Chamber” is marked by nice interplay between trumpet and clarinet, descending passages that display a dramatic edge, and a melody that recalls an old Hollywood movie score. The striking theme of “Coriander” is voiced in various ways before Clearfield makes a strong piano statement that has dissonant leanings and hints of Spanish flavor. On “My Favorite Stranger,” the trumpet and clarinet weave patterns that are colored by Clearfield’s accordion, rumbling bass, and energized drumming. “All the Riven,” the shortest cut, is a quietly dramatic closer; drums roll and cymbals splash as horns sound out the reflective melody.