snobb
German-born Brooklyn-based sax player Ingrid Laubrock's Anti-House combines three of the brightest NY Downtown female jazz musicians of the last decade - herself, American guitarist Mary Halvorson and Canadian-born pianist Kris Davis - plus an excellent rhythm section of drummer Tom Rainey and double bassist John Hébert. The band's second album, "Strong Place", offers a seamless mix of Laubrock's tightly composed contemporary classical music combined with the highest-class of free jazz improvisation from all of the band's members.
Aptly named opener, "An Unfolding", is a quite static drone-influenced piece. It opens the door towards more dynamic compositions, the tension is growing from song to song. Still, the whole album is radiating a chamber feel, and it is far not so raw and explosive as some of Laubrock's earlier, more free jazz rooted, works. There are a lot of melodic snippets in the album's music, and it generally sounds quite accessible, but after repeated listening, the dedicated listener will find new layers and ideas again and again.
From a distance of a decade, "Strong Place" most probably can be listed as one among the best NY Downtown creative jazz of the New Millennium defining albums.
