Robitaille - Space Cycles

After a brief interlude in a group format, Jim Robitaille is back inside the sparse and generous spaces of his trio. Flanked by Bill Miele on bass and Chris Poudrier on drums, Robitaille sounds as if he returned home after being away for a while. The colors throughout these arrangements pulse and glow, embracing a spectrum of musical emotion, while Robitaille's guitar tone also explores the range of what is possible within the framework, he's set for himself. Miele and Poudrier buttress Robitaille's work with sturdy, confident rhythm and gentle explorations of their own. From the moody opener, "Natural Selection," the delicate and profound melancholy of "When We Passed," all the way through to the closing, quietly epic ensemble jam "Chance Meeting," the recording session is dazzling, understated, beautiful, at times even sublime. There's an unwritten story here on "Space Cycles," lurking somewhere in the satisfying jams like warm toes under a blanket. We'd ask a few questions about those stories, find out where they come from, and what the reasoning behind it all is, but the sounds are all we need and we'd rather just enjoy the warmth anyway.