Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

The Stratos Ensemble — Freeing Form
(Bandcamp no#, 2024, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-05-29

Freeing Form Cover art

The Stratos Ensemble has been around a long time, but has only released four albums in over twenty years; this means that over time, minor changes in the group’s sound may not be as detectable as those by a band that cranks out an album every six months to to twelve. It also won’t account for changes in the lineup which inevitably occur over time and change their sound. Since the 2021 four song EP Thi rx, the core of the band has remained intact with keyboardist Dean Benedictis, drummer Coco Roussel, and electric bassist Robert Gross, and their stock in trade is still firmly in the jazz idiom. The most noticeable change this time out is the addition of dedicated lead singer Nichole Michelle Jones (who also provides the improv lyrics), guitarist TJ Sammut, and trombonist Shaunte Palmer. Additionally, Roussel is now tasked with providing additional synths, all of which makes for a perceptible change in the group sound, while still remaining true to their mission. The ten tracks herein account for about 73 minutes of music, much of which are loosely composed pieces serving as vehicles for improvisation, something that this group does very well; there are also some unexplained mysteries, like the uncredited violin soloing on “No Stranger,” which leads one to believe that this particular track may be a remaining vestige of an earlier lineup of the band. Why let anything this good go to waste and remain unheard? Opener “Together in Flames” employs a lot of strange effects and electronic sounds, underscoring that Stratos exists in a world well beyond traditional jazz; by the time the vocals come in, half of the seven minutes have elapsed, and some nice uncredited harmonizing ensues. Launching with a beautiful and dreamy collaboration between synth and trombone, “Ray of Night” soon has the entire group joining in for what tuns out to be something of an eleven-minute epic, full of dreamy observations and ghostly shimmer; again, the vocals, often sounding more like space whispers, can be heard starting at around the halfway mark. “Nev” begins with some interesting electronic textures and morphs into an effected Melodica harmonizing with the trombone, while the closer “Lighthouse” opens with a piano figure, soon joined by trombone, preparing for the vocals that begin around the three minute mark, carrying on to the piece’s eight-and-a-half minute conclusion. All taken, we have in Freeing Form another strong entry from The Stratos Ensemble.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Dean de Benedictis (Surface 10), The Stratos Ensemble, Coco Roussel

More info
http://thestratosensemble.bandcamp.com/album/freeing-form

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.