Francois Houle & Marco von Orelli - Make That Flight (2022)

Even a cursory revisiting of Houle and von Orelli’s previous recordings confirms that the stark forum afforded by a horn duo strips their music to its essentials, their shared ability to make unorthodox forms and materials sing and dance being the most salient. Fresh, distanced, and potentially transformative perspectives abound on this album, and not just about the music of any other artist; but, more importantly, the tug and pull between the continuity represented by tradition and eruptive revolutionary impulses. Tomorrow remains the question. François Houle and Marco von Orelli may not have definitive answers, but they put forward intriguing terms for ongoing dialogue. - Bill Shoemaker