Variable Clouds: Live at the Earshot Jazz Festival

Timeless post bop is delivered by the quartet of Rick Mandyk/ts, John Stowell/g, Jeff Johnson/b and John Bishop/dr on this swinging live set at the Town Hall in Seattle Washington. The entire band sounds like they're both inspired and rejuvenated by the end of the COVID lockdown, with everyone sounding celebratory in delivery.

Mandyk's tenor smokes like a Cohiba, breathy on the mellow "Tilbury Hill", fluffy over Bishop's deft brushes for "It's Easy To Remember" and emitting warm embers for the ballad "Variable Sounds". Stowell deftly glides through Bishop's cymbals during "Trudge" and cascades with his thick tone through "Lonely Blue Angel". Johnson leads the charge with the team digging in for "Studio City" and sprint to the finish line on the pumping "Witchi Tai To".