Danish bassist-composer Anne Mette Iversen taps fellow New Yorkers-pianist Danny Grissett, saxophonist John Ellis, drummer Otis Brown III-for this vibrant outing named for her young son. Iversen alternately plays counterpoint to the rest of the band or, as on the moody opener, “The Terrace,” joins Grissett for exacting unisons. On “The Storm,” which opens with rapid-fire dialogue between Grissett and Ellis, she lays down half-time basslines against the fray before the band starts swinging. On the somber, evocative “Drum Dreams,” Ellis plays clarinet and Brown takes a rubato route as percussive colorist. Iversen and Ellis pair off for tight unisons on the intricate head to “Trains & Chocolate,” before it evolves into a lightly swinging number underscored by Brown’s brisk brushwork. She conjures more thoughtfully swinging sounds on the burning “Milo’s Brother” and the shape-shifting closer, “Cortot’s Wheel.”
Originally PublishedAnne Mette Iversen Quartet: Milo Songs
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