The more I listen to Wing Walker Orchestra’s ‘Hazel” album, the more amped I get for seeing some of this material unfold at Threes Brewing in Gowanus tonight. Seems that in the large, reed-player/boss Drew Williams has crafted his suite to eschew solos. As the jittery beats of the rhythm section clatter, a blend of reeds and brass float above, essaying curt themes and creating cagey juxtapositions that not only balance, but challenge each other. That’s where the music’s tension comes from, and that’s where the power of arrangement trumps the glee of improvisation. Echoes are in the air – how could they not be at this late date? So ground broken by Previte/Glass/Schneider/Horvitz is being re-tilled to a degree. The Ordinaires, too. Fine by me, because the 11-piece outfit’s lush action speaks in a present tense that gets nudged to the fore when the tUnE-yArDs and Attias charts finally grant the players some wiggle room. The album hits on Friday. The band takes over the upstairs room at 333 Douglass St, Brooklyn tonight at 8 pm.
Lament For A Straight Line 