AMN Reviews: Illegal Crowns – Unclosing (2023; Out of Your Head Records)

This quartet of Tomas Fujiwara on drums, Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet and flugelhorn, Mary Halvorson on guitar, and Benoît Delbecq on piano delivers. Halvorson cannot be contained and provides ample note bending and speed picking in her signature style.

But what sets this group apart is the pairing of Bynum and Delbecq. They combine to produce edgy jazz-inflected improv with lines that are both dense and pastoral. Delbecq’s formal training is apparent in his carefully-structured playing that borders on the percussive. Bynum provides clean tones that complement and enhance the piano. This means that Halvorson and Fujiwara pair as a rhythm section, with the former using the low notes on her guitar as a pseudo bass.

While Unclosing provides its share of textural introspection, the group shines most brightly on the knotty, faster-paced pieces that showcase their braininess as well as a sophisticated feel. The album was released June 2 by Out of Your Head Records.