As is often the case, McPhee’s love for simple melodies, and a staggeringly gorgeous sound on every instrument he touches, brought this first outing by the quintet into quick focus.  While Lopez and Nilssen-Love both have the endless well of energy and technique needed to power a band of any type, listen to them here holding back, riding the wave of tension created by restraint, and only occasionally allowing the flood to burst through.  Rempis follows a similar route, wrapping his lines around McPhee’s stark melodies to create lush harmonies full of cinematic and pastoral beauty.  And while it’s more than easy to focus on Reid’s prodigious abilities as a soloist, pay attention to how she drives the ensemble music forward everywhere on this record, with subtle actions that spin her bandmates’ choices into gold.

And of course, McPhee.  Joe is someone who plays only when he feels compelled to do so.  He’ll sometimes stand on stage for the lion’s share of a set and not play a note.  But when he does, watch out.  He’ll bowl you over by surrounding you in that warm dark tone.  A velvet curtain wrapping itself around you, as with his