Ghosts Between Streams
Tom Avgenicos – Delay 45
Ensemble Apex
Earshift Music
https://www.tomavgenicos.com/
*****
By Barry O’Sullivan
The titular theme of this recording is the bold exploration of the interplay between nature and urbanisation, which again is simply another means towards connection and communion. Inspired by his daily walks through Stringybark Creek (North Sydney) and facilitated by a Freedman Fellowship Award, Avgenicos embarks on his creation and presentation of a new multidisciplinary masterpiece, in collaboration with his established jazz quartet, Delay 45, in partnership with Ensemble Apex String Quartet.
While remaining an unabashed modernist whose default mode is an undulating atonal surge, on favourite tracks, ‘Interlude 2’ and ‘Stroll’, Avgenicos diverts sporadically into more well-trodden byways, calling at will on the breadth and depth of jazz, converging the chamber music of the string quartet with a driving bass pulse, electronic soundscapes, samples and contributions from his band, Delay 45, into an edgy, enthralling musical journey towards the grandiose climax of ‘Before We Part’.
The album’s string arrangements and complex rhythms, combined with electronic textures, create an unfolding tapestry woven and sumptuously coloured, augmented by Avgenicos’s rich trumpet playing. He carries himself with confidence, employing a tonal quality that is both full bodied and delivered in a notably unhurried manner, voicing his way through his well-crafted compositions on a twisting, haunting journey of dynamic change with ease and grace.
-Barry O’Sullivan