The music on this record is all related to two unifying principles: 1) An improvising ensemble doesn't need complex tunes, forms, and concepts to find its voice. 2) Freely improvised music doesn't need to lack direction, purpose, or accessibility. "Schiess' Pieces" is a contrafact on the standard "My Shining Hour", built on a 4-note motif (in a nod to Konitz/Marsh/Tristano). It's dedicated to my good friend, Denver guitarist Tony Schiess. "Critical Frank" is constructed from two opposing melodic fragments. The result is a simple juxtaposition of time and contour, upon which an improvisation is built. "Quiet Walk in a Cold Square" refers to the cold nights I spent waiting for the #1 bus to take me back to my first apartment in Boston, at Mass Ave. and Beacon St. "Power Lines" was extracted from a longer work, written for 4 horns and rhythm section. The melodic lines in this version are composites of the voicings in the septet arrangement. "The Desert is Populous" explores a different approach to musical texture, and gives my incomparable rhythm section a chance to stretch out. A smooth, slow-moving line in the saxophone sets up a colorful, searching dialogue between arco bass and drums. "2:00 Noon" grew out of some harmonic experimentation I was doing on Miles' "Tune Up". It's more or less a jazz waltz, though it's missing beats in a few key places. Its melodic simplicity belies the underlying rhythmic subterfuge. "Out of Nowhere" has been one of my favorite standards for some time, as it lends itself well to all sorts of bending, blurring, and manipulation. "Gray/Slate/Yellow" was written between lessons in 2009. It's an exploded blues form built on three harmonic colors - two very similar and one rather different. Andrew Frankhouse - December 2011