Chrysalis

Bassist Bruno Raberg performs seven of his originals with his six-horn nonet and leads his band through a pair of coherent free improvisations ("Sculpture IV" and "Sculpture V") on this complex but very listenable set. While Raberg is originally from Sweden, he currently lives in Boston. His nonet is full of notable players, including guitarist Mick Goodrick, trumpeter Phil Grenadier, and saxophonist Donny McCaslin. Even the lesser-known names have plenty of experience playing in major jazz groups in the U.S. Raberg's rhythms, melody lines, and harmonies are often quite tricky, but these musicians are quite capable of handling the potentially difficult material with ease and understanding. They take concise solos and contribute to the dense but clean ensembles, resulting in a rewarding CD of challenging music that is more accessible than expected.