Oracle

The musical friendship between Swiss saxophonist Co Streiff and American trumpeter Russ Johnson, which has developed through various musical collaborations, dates back to 2004. Their experiences-Streiff as the bandleader of various groups and through her work with pianist Irène Schweizer; Johnson, who has played with just about everyone in New York-are the best aspects of intercultural exchange. In 2012 the quartet released it's stellar debut In Circles, capturing a shared aesthetic for keyboard-less quartets stretching back to Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, and especially Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry. Several annual European tours followed for several years, followed by a long hiatus. The musicians reunited in 2019, with Gerry Hemingway stepping on drums, and as heard on Oracle, recorded on different stops along the group's 2023 tour, the rejiggered line-up had hit it's stride, writes Peter Margasak in the liner notes. For such musical heights to be possible, a common ground is needed-and here, that basis has been strengthened by more than 20 years of continuous collaboration.