The American, chamber jazz quartet resAUnance offers a unique aesthetics. Its four musicians, all composers on their own right, feel at home with free improvisation, modern jazz or contemporary and avantgarde music. Add to that the exotic flavor of folk songs from Thrace – the area in southeast Europe, centered on  the modern borders of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey – and the you may get an idea about the quartet diverse and versatile music language.

resAUnance feature Turkish vocal artist Esin Gündüz; percussionist John Bacon, member of several contemporary percussion ensembles and modern jazz outfits; cellist Jonathan Golove who also alternates between contemporary music, including as a soloist of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and modern jazz; and pianist Michael McNeill, who leads a trio with acclaimed double bass player Ken Filiano and drummer Phil Haynes. The quartet began to perform as a trio of Gündüz, Bacon and McNeill in 2013, collaborated with trumpeter Dave Ballou, and in 2014 became a quartet with the addition of Golove. The quartet debut album was recorded on the same year in Buffalo, New York, where all four musicians met.

The arrangements of the folk songs from Thrace, «Kızılcıklar Oldu Mu?», and «Bir fırtına» are the most interesting pieces here. Both set the open, inclusive atmosphere of this album, navigating organically between emotionally intense, Mediterranean vocal ornamentations and the nuanced, odd meter pulse. Other pieces, as  «Flame» and the title piece, suggest a different atmosphere, more delicate and reserved. These pieces employ the acrobatic-operatic range of Gündüz vocals, encompassed gently by the playful vibes of Bacon, the dreamy cello of Golove and the singing piano of McNeill.

Highly original. Will be interesting to see if the great potential of resAUnance will be realized in future albums.

Eyal Hareuveni 

John Bacon Jr. (vib, perc), Jonathan Golove (c), Esin Gündüz (v), Michael McNeill (p)