The Watchman

Incorporating elements of free jazz and East European traditional music, avant garde cellist Erik Friedlander, with his ensemble Chimera, have issued a second album, The Watchman. Clarinet and cello, not surprisingly, provide the core around which the other musicians orbit. Despite its sources, this is not another klez-jazz album, rather it sounds alternately like mournful, solid jazz or the music of the village run through a rhythmic blender. Friedlander has made a name for himself in the past by playing jazz cello with a style that does more than just mimic the high registers of a standup bass, and on this album he is freed even more from the expectations of the jazz tradition to create beautiful music with spiritual depth and a warm, sensual tone. The album's thematic exploration of emotion, memory, and mourning only add depth to the compositions.