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Although they live in
different parts of the country, the musicians who comprise ESTHESIS
QUARTET have found common ground in their love of improvised
music and their willingness to take creative risks. On their newest
album, TIME ZONES, the band once again pushes the
musical envelope with seven original compositions that explore a
range of concepts and moods. ESTHESIS
QUARTET is made up of four
accomplished musicians and educators who met at various festivals,
conventions, and sessions around the country. Flutist ELSA NILSSON
hails from Gothenburg, Sweden, but has been living in Brooklyn,
NYC, for over a decade. She actively works as a bandleader and side
woman in a myriad of creative music projects. She has released seven albums as
a leader and is currently an adjunct professor at The New School
College of Performing Arts. Pianist, vocalist, and composer DAWN CLEMENT is
one of the most sought-after musicians working today. She has
recorded six albums as a leader and is the recipient of the CMA
Performance Plus grant to compose for Esthesis Quartet. Clement is
the Area Coordinator of the Jazz and American Improvised Music Department
at Metropolitan State University of Denver, a program founded by the
late Ron Miles. EMMA DAYHUFF is the most recent bassist to
graduate from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance in Los
Angeles. She is only the fifth woman ever to participate in the
prestigious program and has performed around the world with many top
jazz artists like Herbie Hancock, Victor Goines, David Murray, among
others. Currently residing in Chicago, she has conducted master
classes in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Cuba, and Australia. Los
Angeles-based TINA
RAYMOND is an accomplished
drummer, composer, bandleader, and educator. The Director of Jazz
Studies at California State University Northridge, Raymond received DownBeat
Magazine’s Educator Achievement Award in 2020. She is
president-elect of California Alliance for Jazz and has toured the
US, Europe and Asia as a leader and side woman. The concept for the
quartet, rooted in mutual respect for each other's musicianship and
creativity, began during the first Covid lockdown. Geographically
dispersed, they met via Zoom to share their compositions. From there,
they experimented with recording pieces and free improvisations by
remotely layering parts. As Covid waned and people began travelling
again, Nilsson, Clement, and Dayhuff joined Raymond in Los Angeles to
perform and record their music. From their first shared note, it was
clear that they were a band. The use of the word ESTHESIS in their
name is poignant, as it means the elementary sensation of touch,
which was something sorely lacking during the lockdown. Their first album, the
eponymous Esthesis Quartet, was released in 2021. Textura
says, “The rapport the four share is vividly captured on the set and
is particularly strong for a debut outing. All of the musicians
distinguish themselves and enhance the group identity, and the six
performances are vibrant, energized, and powerful.” TIME
ZONES, Esthesis Quartet’s
upcoming second release, was also recorded in Los Angeles. The album
playfully explores the experience of four musicians working together
while each living in different time zones. The album opens with “Blue
Light,” composed by Clement. Being a working mother, Clement often
finds herself working late at night and into the wee hours of the
morning when she is finally alone and the evening lights grow dim.
The tune features an improvised conversation between flute and drums.
Raymond wrote “Brush Fire”
as a reaction to the 2018 Woolsey fire that burned nearly 100,000
acres across two counties. The arc of the tune reflects the arc of
the fire, which started off as a small brush fire but then quickly
developed into a major conflagration, which is represented by
Nilsson’s frenetic flute solo and Raymond’s high energy drumming. Clement sings on her
composition “The New Yorker.” Inspired by the poem “Scylla and
Charybdis” by contemporary poet Megan Fernandes, Clement had in mind
a good friend and collaborator who moved to Paris. “Hollywood” is a feisty
blues number by Clement featuring solos by Nilsson, Raymond, and
Clement. It was written for the spirited drummer Matt Wilson. Raymond was inspired to
write “Serial” after listening to the podcast of the same name.
Raymond captures the feel of the murder mystery who-done-it with an
angular melody and a bass line that is reminiscent of theme songs
from 1960s television detective shows like Peter Gunn. Nilsson’s “First Light”
captures the gentle moments immediately after waking and before the
weight of the world intrudes on one’s consciousness. It was written
to hold onto and extend those moments of beauty and peace. “Getting Through,” also by
Nilsson, is about the process of pushing through hard things, both
internal and external. In the quartet’s first rehearsal, Nilsson said
to Dayhuff, “Go as fast as you want!” The result encapsulates the
openness to exploration inherent in the band. Noteworthy in the male
dominated field of jazz academia, there are only six women across the
country who are department heads of jazz programs. Two of the six are
in Esthesis Quartet. Gender aside, the high level of
musicianship and commitment to spontaneous creativity makes Esthesis
Quartet a formidable musical force and TIME ZONES an
eminently satisfying project for afficionados of contemporary
improvisatory music. # # # TIME
ZONES is set for release on March
10, 2023 on Ears and Eyes Records and will be available on Bandcamp
and streaming platforms. WATCH
EPK: Bit.ly/esthesisquartet-timezones Online: Esthesisquartet.bandcamp.com/album/time-zones
(link goes live on March 10) Esthesisquartet.com Elsanilssonmusic.com Dawnclement.com Emmadayhuff.com Tinaraymond.com Earsandeyesrecords.com | 
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Topic: Acclaimed Esthesis Quartet's Sophomore Release
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