Stellar release!! ""The first disc features "Conduction No. 43: The Cloth". The first thing I noticed about this disc is how well it is recorded and perfectly balanced. We can hear Zeena Parkins's acoustic harp, the strings, guitar, oboe, vibes and other assorted percussion just right. You can tell that Butch Morris has rehearsed with this ensemble as the swirling lines they play together are so tight and instantly connected. Certain solos, like the oboe, rise above the rest of the ensemble like a lightning flash, before they submerge back into the rest of the waves. There also sections that are calm, sublime and quietly transcendent. One early section features oboe, harp and piano in a most exquisite setting before Butch begins adding somewhat more agitated layers to the cosmic cauldron of spirits. I dig the way certain fragments of melodies evolve and are turned inside out while Butch injects any number of surprising related lines or undercurrents. The entire concert seems to build in a way that always makes sense while certain themes emerge and are transformed into something else equally enchanting. "Dust to Dust (part 1)" was also the name of an album by Mr. Morris from the mid-nineties. The orchestra performs a version of it here and it has a magical, dream-like ambiance with different layers intersecting in a most fascinating way. After seeing Butch perform so many times, I can picture his baton and hand movements in my mind's eye creating worlds within worlds.
The second disc is "Conduction No. 46 - Verona Skyscraper". This set featured the usual collaborators like J.A. Deane, Zeena Parkins, Myra Melford plus guitarist Bill Horvitz (Wayne's brother & an early Downtowner who we rarely hear from) and bass clarinetist Francesco Bearzatti, who has been popping up on the Auand label.The first piece, "Skyscraper Mutiny" goes further out with darker more turbulent currents flowing. There is particular wave/motion that erupts at different times which gives this a recognizable Butch Morris touch. Yet we never know how things will develop. Certain fragmented lines are repeated yet they keep changing or mutating into something else. A number of fine Italian musicians get a chance to stretch out here, some I know and some I am not familiar with. Again, Mr. Morris conducts and molds the orchestra into all kinds of stimulating shapes and colors. And again, the outcome is consistently engaging and often mesmerizing." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery