This second pairing of the dominant trombonist of our time and the prolific idiosyncratic composer Gregg Hill, plays out in an expansive aural sandbox. Full of reminders of '70s cinema, Zappa albums circa The Grand Wazoo, bebop, and Big Bands through the ages, the strong melodies and committed musical integrity assure the feeling is substantial, swinging, and exciting. Structured and highly contrapuntal pieces unfold in sections, with the world-class soloists imbuing the music with an organic energy that ties together the storylines. Dease, performing on trombone and baritone sax, is joined by the woodwind section of Sharel Cassity, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Jason Hainsworth & Virginia MacDonald, Matt White on trumpet, Nanami Haruta on trombone, and the rhythm section of Bill Cunliffe, Katie Thiroux, Colleen Clark, and Gwendolyn Dease on marimba & percussion.

Bustling like a mashup of Ray Anderson and Charles Mingus, Dease's band carves a broad swath through territory that seems somewhat familiar. - DownBeat