Jasper Hoiby - Fellow Creatures (2016) [Hi-Res]

This is a remarkable record. Jasper Hoiby is a bass virtuoso of the highest order. But the real interest of the recording is the compositions/arrangements. The group is keenly attuned to the bassist's concept and play as if their lives depended on it. And perhaps they do, for the CD has a eco-concept behind it with titles like "Plastic Island" "Song for the Bees" and 'Collective Spaces". If ever there is a documentary about what life was like on planet earth, this could be the soundtrack. It seems to catch us in a final desperate plea (to ourselves) to CARE for all this beauty. The interactions within the group ably represent a kind of care and caring. Lots of dialogue, subtle ensemble work, joyful bursts of enthusiasm and musical jests. It is serious music but also serious fun. Surely there are some future major jazz stars here including the trumpet player, Laura Hurd. But the players mostly stay focused on the meaning of each brilliant composition without asserting themselves on lengthy solos.