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Theo May's Odd Unit — Alive in the Forest of Odd
(Discus Music 168CD, 2024, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-03-18

Alive in the Forest of Odd Cover art

Odd Unit was formed around five years ago by violinist and composer Theo May by bringing together jazz and classical students from several music schools in London explicitly to perform and record May’s compositions; Alive in the Forest of Odd is the group’s first album. The core of the group features May on compositions and violin, Ali Watson on double bass, drummer Alex Temple-Heald, pianist Will Bracken, and Gustavo Clayton Marucci playing Bb and bass clarinets. In addition, several more guest musicians join the fun, track depending, on cello, flute, and additional violins. The album features ten purely instrumental pieces that are informed by classical, chamber, and jazz elements, though within those basic boundaries there is quite a lot of variety, some slow and pensive pieces, others very lively and fun, and all points in between. A track like “The Joy of Nine” is a complex and fiery workout that stands as one of the most immediately energetic jazz points among the album’s ten cuts. Opener “Voyager” introduces the group with an interesting, almost chamber-folk vibe that opens the curtain to May’s eclectic compositional style. Most of the cuts here are a little on the longish side, five to eight minutes in length, but given that there are so many changes and so much going on as each piece proceeds, the astute listener might not even notice. “Solemnity” is an introspective chamber-styled piece driven by piano with cello and extra violins in tow, the result is a masterpiece of dark shimmering beauty, with the clarinet taking a beautiful solo as the piece nears its conclusion. A duo for piano and violin, “A Place without Words” offers a dreamy soundworld where the mood can change quickly from delicate and introspective to a powerful torrent of majestic tonal color. All taken, there is so much energy in each of these cuts, and every one so different from all the others, I can seriously recommend Alive in the Forest of Odd to adventurous listeners everywhere.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Theo May

More info
http://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/alive-in-the-forest-of-odd-168cd-2024

 

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