Episodes IV-VI

Pianist Rich Pellegin contributed all of the music to Episodes IV-VI, the second volume in his three-part odyssey trilogy. The five pieces on this CD are excellent showcases for his quintet (trumpeter R. Scott Morning, tenor-saxophonist Neil Welch, bassist Evan Flory-Barnes and drummer Chris Icasiano) as soloists and in loose but very coherent ensembles. The originals set moods on which the musicians build and develop the music, sometimes taking it into unexpected areas. After listening to this program, one does not remember the individual solos as much as the colorful ensemble sound of the group, the suite-like nature of the music, and the constant creativity by the excellent musicians.