iSound

Seven superb improvisers from different geographic and aesthetic regions come together – virtually – in this fiery kaleidoscope of free improvisations. The band is in sync but the parts were improvised and recorded separately. Fernando Benadon carefully assembled the tracks by trimming and juxtaposing the players’ improvisations, highlighting their individual subtleties of rhythm and color. The result is a sophisticated and forward-looking take on the classic symbiosis between composition and improvisation.

The genre is as multidimensional as the musicians’ pedigrees: violinists Courtney Orlando (Alarm Will Sound) and Evan Price (Turtle Island String Quartet), violist Kurt Rohde (Left Coast Chamber Ensemble), bassist Michael Formanek (Mingus Big Band), clarinetist Marco Mazzini (Thelema Trio), percussionist Christopher Froh (San Francisco Contemporary Music Players), and drummer Nasar Abadey (Supernova).

Praised as “engagingly forward” by The New York Times, Fern...