Coalescent Quartet - 2025 - The Wall Between Us (Is Where We Meet)

(51:17; Numa Records)






















Track list:
1. Unrelenting Universe [Zack Browning] 5:41
2. Quartet for Saxophones I [Evan Williams] 1:54
3. Quartet for Saxophones II [Evan Williams] 2:21
4. Quartet for Saxophones III [Evan Williams] 3:57
5. Quartet for Saxophones IV [Evan Williams] 0:36
6. Quartet for Saxophones V [Evan Williams] 1:52
7. Quartet for Saxophones VI [Evan Williams] 2:43
8. Quartet for Saxophones VII [Evan Williams] 3:50
9. Distance Can’t Keep Us Two Apart [Chen Yi] 6:01
10. Mending Time - Two Can Pass [Martin Bresnick] 2:46
11. Mending Time - The Gaps I Mean [Martin Bresnick] 3:02
12. Mending Time - The Wall Between Us (Is Where We Meet) [Martin Bresnick] 4:37
13. Mending Time - Moves in Darkness & The Shade of Trees [Martin Bresnick] 4:53
14. Night Music [Emma O’Halloran] 7:04

Line-up:
Nathan Bogert - soprano saxophone
Michael Shults - alto saxophone
Nick Zoulek - tenor saxophone
Drew Whiting - baritone saxophone 


US foursome Coalescent Quartet started out back in 2016, consisting of members with an established pedigree as musicians in their own right, and with each of them specializing in different varieties of saxophones, namely soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. This spring they released their debut album "The Wall Between Us (Is Where We Meet) through US label Numa Records.

In terms of actual knowledge I'm very much a layman as far as classical music goes, and in terms of ensembles revolving around the saxophone my knowledge is probably at a level where even the word layman may even be inappropriate. Hopefully those aren't the only reasons for me finding this saxophone quartet to be a rather interesting experience.

I'm more used to hearing the saxophone being used in a bit of a more expressive and aggressive manner than on this production, where the instruments by and large tend to explore a more elegant manner of tone and timbre as well as exploring landscapes of a more elegant and compelling general nature. With some of the compositions here coming across as creations that may as well have been performed by a string section, an orchestra and in one case with the mood and atmosphere combined with the tonality giving me associations towards the church organ.

That the saxophones can explore these and other creations in a compelling and elegant manner is intriguing for me as a listener. To hear how we get several varieties of call and answer structures, or constructions where gently swirling saxophones serve as the underpinning of gently flowing or majestic surging layered saxophone callouts, but also compositions with a role reversal in that regard. Flowing and floating landscapes with dramatic, swirling interludes is a part of the experience here too, and with a little bit of a flamboyant side step appearing here and there to the pleasure of those who find the saxophone at its most interesting when used in more challenging displays.

I do find myself pleasantly surprised by this chamber music that goes full-on saxophone album, and really enjoy the finely controlled and pleasantly inviting notes and tones of all four of the saxophones used throughout. At some level one might state that this is an album to pull out and play to someone that states that they have a strong dislike for the saxophone as an instrument, that someone in most cases being familiar with the instrument from a pop or rock context or the more expressive sides of the jazz spectrum. For such a person this album will be a little bit of a revelation I'd suspect.

The four compositions performed on this album all come across as elegant chamber music creations in the guise these creations have been given on this album, with certain parts and sections bringing me associations also to other instruments as well as a sometime association towards a full orchestral score being explored. If striking and elegant chamber music with flow, some intricate details and occasional side steps into more expressive landscapes sounds like your kind of music, and the notion of such material being explored by way of a saxophone quartet sounds like a good thing to you, chances are very high for you to find this to be quite the rewarding album experience.

Olav M. Björnsen, June 2025

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/coalescentquartet
https://neumarecords.org

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