Emmeluth's Amoeba - Chimaera [Øra Fonogram]

Put on the circuit via the Norwegian label Øra Fonogram on November 15th, 2k19 is "Chimaera", the sophomore album released by the quartet known as Emmeluth's Amoeba. Led by saxophone player and composer Signe Emmeluth, who actually sent this album out to us and opens, as well as concludes, the longplay piece with a distinct, authorative solo sax attitude, the group provides an eight track menu of compositions rolled out over the course of 37 minutes with the main piece "AB" occupying an 11+ minutes stretch of the total playtime. Focused on Jazz as a general theme we see Emmeluth's Amoeba employ both instrumentation and techniques well familiar to followers of Traditional, Free and Avantgarde Jazz at times, yet going well beyond confining genre borders to provide highly detailed, complex and thought out compositions often somewhat led by dramatic, hammering piano stakkatos and resulting sonic thunder whilst other cuts like "Velvet" come across in a more contemplative, relaxed and laid back manner without giving up any of their intricate details and complexity or, on an interesting side note, allowing any of the instruments involved to take on a truly leading role which leads to a thrilling, yet also nerve wrecking dynamic tension even for advanced followers of the genre although the off-kilter piano etude that is the title track "Chimaera" provides a bit of a slightly relaxing break before things start to escalate in short bursts of eruptive power which also are to be found in the second piano focused ballad "No. 1". Not your regular Easy Jazz, this is.