From See Our Way a remarkably profound and succinct series of soprano saxophone and bass improvisations from Jane Ira Bloom and Mark Helias. I enjoyed the remotely recorded Some Kind of Tomorrow released last year and these tracks are in the same mould. It's extraordinary how the duo can be so creative in the moment. Their spirit and strong ideas lift everything on this record to create a fulfilling listening experience. SG
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The kind of free-improv that is quite serene in a way. Certainly the cello, flute, drums framework lends itself to textural, acoustic development. It's not ostentatiously experimental, a factor that can bedevil a lot of improvisers' work, but seems to very well thought-through, say when a baroque sensibility meets the 21st century head on for 'Pasacaglia' which is one of the best of the tracks. Cellist Shirley Smart is increasingly prominent on the UK free-improv scene and releases such as this go part of the way to explain why. Out as a digital album on 4 April via this link