Estafest cooks up an entierly different kind of serenity.  Their mix of Nordic jazz, folk and chamber generates a kind of tranquility that is far more active and involved than your typical work that gets tagged as ambient.  The main driver of this quality are the thoughtful interactions between the quartet members.  No matter how volatile a series of expressions may become, the contemplative nature of the decisions made as they advance their dialog bleeds through into the sound, and it’s why when “Cookies” lays down some blues or when the heat gets turned up on “Taborn” or melodic lines go tumbling along on “Gimpy” or how they dissolve completely into “Impro 1013,” there hangs in the air a strong suggestion of tranquility.

Their 2014 release Eno Supo was as lovely as it gets, and the quartet’s new recording Bayachrimae builds on that foundation with songs that express even more distinct personalities.  And most frequently to emerge are those most peaceful, with tracks like “Polderlucht,” “Floating,” and the two-part suite “Bayachrimae” displaying the potency of the quartet’s approach when the contemplative elements are the focus rather than the residue.

The beauty of Bayachrimae is equal to that of its predecessor, and gets there by revealing an even greater depth of personality.

Your album personnel:  Anton Goudsmit (guitar), Mete Erker (tenor & soprano saxophones), Jeroen van Vliet (piano) and Oene van Geel (viola, cajon).

Released on BMC Records.

Music from Amsterdam.

Available at:  Amazon | eMusic

This band doesn’t really give a damn about parachutes.  The plane door opens wide.  The trio Viriditas launches themselves out into space, and begin a speedy descent to the earth below.  Saxophonist Ben Cohen flails the melody about spasmodically, attempting to lunge the song into something resembling flight.  Drummer Deric Dickens rapidly flaps his wings, hoping the speed of his rhythmic motions will overpower the effects of gravity.  Bassist Ross Gallagher twists and turns the tempo into shapes and patterns that seek to capture the cadence of the atmosphere and make it his own.  But Viriditas is about more than high-speed motion.  As they hurtle groundward, the trio strike up an engaging chatter, and the dialog becomes the signifier of the music and not its motion.  This becomes especially clear when the trio lands on a cloud, as they do on “Child’s Play” and “Sparrow,” and simply float peaceably for the while… at least until the descent begins all over again.

The result of all these components is some seriously fun, unabashedly effusive post-bop.

Your album personnel:  Ben Cohen (saxophones), Ross Gallagher (bass) and Deric Dickens (drums).

The album is Self-Produced.

Listen to more of the album at the artists’s Bandcamp page.

Music from Brooklyn.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic